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KING JOHN SIGNING THIi MAGNA CHAKTA. 



[_See page 22. 



HE STORY OF LIBERTY 



BY 



CHARLES CARLETON COFFIN 

AUTHOR OF "THE BOYS OF '76" 



Jllustrateb 




NEW YORK 

HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS 

FRANKLIN SQUARE 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 

Two CoDies Received 

JUL 19 1906 

I ) Cooyngiii Entry 









COPY B. 



Copyright, 1S7S, by Harper & Brothfrs. 
Copyright, 1906, by Sam.ir R. Coffin. 



\e G 



INTRODUCTION. 



To the Boys and Girls of America : 

This " Story_of Liberty " is a toie narrative. It^ covers a period_of_ 
five hundred years, and js_an outline of the march of jhe human rac e 
from_ Slaverv to Freedom^ 

There are some points in this book to which I desire to direct your 
attention. You will notice 'that the events which have given direction 
to the course of history have not always been great battles, for very few 
of the many conflicts of arms have had any determining force; b ui^ i t 
wilL be_seen^ that insignificant event s liaye been iiot unfre(iuend}^foh__ 
lowed by^momentous results.. (You will seejhat everything ^IS^^ present, 
be it good or bad, may be tracedjo som ething in the :pas^; that histmy 
is^ chain o f events . You. wjlLalsojiotice thaUiistoryJsJike _ajrama, 
and that there are buUgje\v . principal actors.) How f^ \h^ ha^bjg^n H 

The first to appear in this " Storj" is^King_^Johnof England. Out_of 
his signing h]s_name to the(llagna Charta) have come theCParliament of 
(ireatJ Britain andjthe Congres'Tof thTTniledL Stales, an d represe n tative 
g overnments everywhere .) The next actoi-s were John Wicjdif and_Geof- 
frey Chancer, who so wed s eed tha^j^ ii^^_ri£§BiJ^» inLJudividual liberty . 
Then c^e Henry VH., Henry VIII., Ivatherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, 
Katherine's daughter (Mary Tudor), Cardinal Wolsey, Archbishop Cran- 
mer, Anne Boleyn's daughter (Elizabeth), King James, John Smith, John 
Robinson, William Brewster, and the men and women of Austerfield and 

Scrooby. 

In Scotland were Mary Stuart and George Buchanan ; in Bohemia, 
Professor Faulfash and John Ilnss ; in Germany, the boy who sung for 
his breakfast (Martin Luther), Duke Frederick, John Tetzel, and John 
Guttenberg; in Holland, Laurence Coster, Doctor Erasmus, and William 



INTRODUCTION. 



the Silent; in France, Francis I., Catherine de' Medici, the Duke of Guise, 
Charles IX., and Henry lY. ; in Spain, Thomas de Torqueniada, Isabella, 

I Ferdinand, Christopher Columbus, Charles Y., Philip II., and Loyola ; in 
Italy, Alexander YI. and Leo X. These have taken great pai-ts in the 

V drama : actnely or pas§iv^ly, they ha\'e beenjlie central^ tig u res. ' 

One other thing : you will notice that the one question greater than 
all others has been in_regard to the righ^of meiLto think for themselves, 
especially in^matters pertaining to religion. (Popes, archbishops, cardinals, 
bishoj)s, and priest s have disputed tlie_right) to secure which hundreds of 
tliousajids oi men and women have yielded their^liyes. You will also 
take special notice that nothing is said against religion— nothing against 
the Pope because he is Pope ; nothing against a Catholic because he is 
a Catholic ; nor against a Protestant because he protests against the au- 
thority of the Church of Eome. Facts of history only are given. Cath- 
olics and Protestants alike have persecuted, robbed, plundered, maltreated, 
imprisoned, and burned men and women for not believing as they be- 
lieved. Through ignorance, superstition, intolerance, and bigotiy ; through 
thinking that they alone were right, and that those who differed with them 
were wrong ; forgetting that might never makes i^ght ; honestlj thinking 
that they were doing God service in rooting out heretics, thej filled^ the 
world with woe. '^ — ■> 

( There is still another point to be noticed : that the successes of those 

who have struggled^ Iveep meii in slavery have often proved^ t£ be in 
' reality failures ; \vhile the defea.ts of tliose who ^veve fig^liting for freedom 
I ^ve often been victoi'ies. Emperors, kings, cardinals, pi-iests^and popes 

have had their own way, and yet their plans have failed in the end. They 
' plucked golden fruit, which changed to apples of Sodom. Mary Tiidor 
' resolutely set herself to root out all heretics, and yet tliere were more 
1 heretics Jn England on^ theday of^her death tliaii when slie ascei^ided 

the throne. Charles Y. and Philip II. gi-asped aLuni\;ersal domhiion ; 
j but their strength became weakness, theii- achievements failures. On the 

other hand, see what has corne from d isaste r ! How bitter to John Rob- 
j inson, William Brewster, and the poor people of Scrooby and Austerfield, 

to be driven from home, to be exiles ! Biit out of that bit^rness has 
\ come the Republ ic of the Western woi-ld ! "VVho ^on— Kiiig James, or 
1 Jojin Robinson and William Brewster ? 



INTRODUCTION. 

There is still one other point : you will notice that while the oppress- 
ors have carried out their plans, and had things their own way, there 
were other forces silently at work, which in time undermined their plans, 
as if a Divine hand were directing tlie coiinter-plan. Whoever peruses 
the "Story of Liberty" without recognizing this feature will fail of fully 
comprehending the meaning of history. There must be a meaning to 
liistory, or else existence is an incompreliensible enigma. 

Some men assert that the marvellous events of historj' are only a series 
of coincidences; but was it by chance that the great uprising in Germany 
once lay enfolded, as it were, in the beckoning hand of Ursula Cotta ? 
How happened it that behind the passion of Henry VIII. for Anne Boleyn 
should be the separation of England from the Church of Rome, and all 
the mighty results to civilization and Christianity that came from that 
event ? (How came it to pass that, when the world was ready for it, and 
not before, George Buchanan should teach the doctrine that the people 
were tlie only legitimate source of power? ) Men act freeh' in laying and 
executing their plans ; but behmd the turmoil and conflict of human wills 
there is an unseen power that shapes destiny — nations rise and fall, gen- 
erations come and go ; yet through the ages there has been an advance- 
ment of Justice, Truth, Right, and Liberty. To what end ? Is it not 
the march of the human race toward an Eden of rest and peace ? 

(If while reading this " Story" you are roused to indignation, or pained 
at the recital of wrong and outrage, remember that out of endurance and 
sacrifice has come all that you hold most deai* ; so wjjl 3-0 u comprehend 
what Liber ty has cost, and what it is worth . ) 

Charles Carleton Coffin. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. PARE 

John Lackland and the Barons -•••• 1^ 

CHAPTER II. 
The Man who Preached after He was Dead 30 

CHAPTER III. 
The Fire that was Kindled in Bohemia 55 

CHAPTER IV. 
What Laurence Coster and John Guttenberg did for Liberty. G9 

CHAPTER V. 
The Men who Ask Questions 80 

CHAPTER VI. 
How A Man Tried to Reach the East by Sailing West 97 

CHAPTER VII. 
The New Home of Liberty 123 

CHAPTER VIII. 
A Boy who Objected to Marrying his Brother's Widow 140 

CHAPTER IX. 
The Man who Can Do no Wrong 159 

CHAPTER X. 
The Boy who Sung for his Breakfast 172 

CHAPTER XI. 

What the Boy who Sung for his Breakfast Saw in Rome 178 

CHAPTER XII. 
The Boy-cardinal 193 

CHAPTER XIIL 
The Boy-emperor. 210 

CHAPTER XIV. 
The Field of the Cloth of Gold 216 



12 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XV. PACK 

The Men who Obey Orders =.... 222 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Plans that did not Come to Pass 220 

CHAPTER XVII. 
The Man who Split the Church in Tavain 241 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
The Queen who Burned Heretics 204 

CHAPTER XIX. 
How Liberty Began in France 283 

CHAPTER XX. 
The Man avho Filled the World with Woe 293 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Progress of Liberty in England 298 

CHAPTER XXII. 
How the Pope Put Down the Heretics 302 

CHAPTER XXIIL 
The Queen of the Scots 311 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
St. Bartholomew 31 G 

CHAPTER XXV. 
How the "Beggars" Fought for their Rights 328 

CHAPTER XXVI. 
Why the Queen of Scotland Lost her Head = 338 

CHAPTER XXVII. 
The Retribution that Followed Crime 341 

CHAPTER XXVIIL 
William Brewster and his Friends , 351 

CHAPTER XXIX. 
The Star of Empire 360 

CHAPTER XXX. 
The "Half-moon" 378 

CHAPTER XXXI. 
Strangers and Pilgrims 383 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

King John Signing the Magna Charta. Fr'^tispiece 
Windsor Castle, from the Meadow at Runnj'- 

mede 1*7 

Battle of Acre 18 

Richard Slaughtering the Saracens 19 

Crusaders ■ 19 

King John 21 

Round Tower of Windsor Castle 22 

Windsor Castle (south view) 23 

Windsor Castle (east view) 24 

The Place where the Magna Charta was 

Signed 25 

"He has the right of deposing emperors". . 26 
"All the princes of the earth shall kiss his 

feet" 27 

The Church 27 

Canterbury Cathedral 28 

Gray's Monument 29 

Lutterworth Church 30 

Stratford '. 31 

The Monks 32 

Carmelite Monk 32 

Good Old Wine 33 

The Way St. Dunstau Served the Devil 34 

A Knight Fighting a Dragon 35 

Mischief in the Air 36 

A Monk Preaching 37 

Adoration of Relics 38 

The Interior of Christ Church, O.xford 39 

Front of Baliol College, Oxford 39 

Lambeth Palace 41 

Reading the Bull 42 

Preaching-place, London 43 

John Wicklif Translating the Bible 43 

Bible Chained to a Desk 44 

Florence 45 



Canterbury 46 

The Westgate, Canterbury 47 

Savoy Palace 48 

A Bishop 49 

The Pilgrims Starting from the Tabard Tavern. 50 
The Monks Humbling the King. (From an 

Old Print) 51 

Chaucer's Monument 52 

The Land of the Windmills 53 

Receiving Absolution 55 

I Ruins of the Papal Palace at Avignon 56 

I The Pope on his Throne 57 

I Castle of St. Angelo 58 

The Holy Men Settling a Dispute 59 

The Old Town 60 

John Huss in Prison 60 

The Council 62 

The Procession 64 

Burning of John Huss 66 

The Falls of Schaffhausen 68 

Haerlem 69 

Canal in Holland 70 

Street in Holland 71 

Rheinstein 72 

Bingen 73 

Laurence Coster 74 

Guttenberg's First Proof 75 

Specimen of Type 75 

John Guttenberg 76 

William Caxton 77 

Illuminated Letter 77 

Presenting a Bible to the King. (From an 

Old Print) 78 

Monument to Guttenberg 79 

Valladolid Cathedral 80 

Isabella 81 



14 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



TAGE 

Coronation of Isabella 82 

Dominican Monk 83 

A Thumb-screw 83 

Torture Chamber 84 

Burning a Heretic in Presence of the Pope. 86 

Burning the Bishop of Tarragona 88 

" Friends they had none" 90 

A Moor's Palace 91 

Court of the Alhambra 92 

Along the Corridors of the Palace 92 

Gibraltar 94 

Street Scene in Spain 95 

Moors 96 

The Alhambra 9Y 

Columbus 98 

Wool-comber 99 

He Believes that the Earth is Bound 99 

The Old Castle 100 

Marco Polo 101 

Genoa 102 

"A morsel of bread for Diego, if you please" 103 
" By sailing west, I shall be able to reach 

the Indies " 104 

Columbus Explaining his Plan before Ferdi- 
nand and Isabella 105 

Returning to the Alhambra 106 

The Ships 108 

The Canary Islands 109 

Gahleo 110 

Sea- weed Ill 

The New World 112 

The Landing 113 

Along the Shore 114 

Rearing the Cross 115 

Returning to Spain 116 

The King and Queen Receive him in Great 

State 117 

That is the Way to Do it 1] T 

All have Perished 118 

In Chains 119 

A Dragon Eating it Up 120 

The Rescue 121 

Columbus's Monument, Genoa 122 

Sebastian Cabot 123 

The Sea Swarms with Fish 124 

Among the Icebergs 125 

The Rocky Shore 126 

The Caverns 12*7 

Amerigo Vespucci 128 

Dressing their Fish 129 

Two Men Brin^ a Cask on Board 130 



The Head of the Cask Falls out, and a 

Young Man Stands before them 131 

The Chief Offers his Daughter in Marriage. 132 

" Do you quarrel about such stuff?" 133 

Climbing the Mountains 134 

Slaughter of the Indians 135 

Discovery of the Pacific ... 136 

Balboa Taking Possession of the Pacific. . 137 

The Hounds Tear him to Pieces 138 

Execution of Balboa 139 

Lollards' Prison 140 

The Council Chamber, Tower of London. . . 141 

The Sanctuary 142 

The Chest 142 

Erasmus 143 

Westminster Abbey and its Precinct, about 

A.D. 1735 144 

Westminster Abbey 145 

Shrine of Edward the Confessor 146 

North Ambulatory and Chantry 147 

The Cloister 148 

Henry YII.'s Chapel 150 

Sculpture on the Wall in the Abbey 151 

Katherine 152 

Scrooby 154 

Margaret 155 

Coffins of James I., Elizabeth of York, and 
Henry VII., as seen on Opening the Vault 

in 1869 156 

Henry VIII 157 

Coronation Chair 158 

The Pope in his Palace 160 

The Pope Going to St. Peter's 161 

Ctesar Borgia 162 

The Cardinals • 163 

Vittoria Colonna 165 

Lucretia Borgia 166 

The Tiber, St. Peter's, and Castle of St 

Angelo 167 

The Priests' Procession 170 

The Early Morning Chant at Eisenach .... 173 

Ursula Cotta and Martin Luther 174 

The Students' Festival 175 

The Augustine Friars 176 

Over the Mountains 179 

The Campagna 180 

The Place where Cicero Delivered his Ora- 
tions 181 

The Building which the Jews Erected 182 

From this Palace went forth the Decree 

" that all the world should be taxed". . . 183 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



15 



The Arch of Titus 185 

The Coliseum 186 

Fan-bearers 187 

Carrying the Pope's Crown 188 

The Doll that Works Miracles 189 

Kissing St. Peter's Toe 190 

Climbing the Stairs 192 

The Pope's Chapel 194 

The Cardinals in Procession 195 

The Pope in his Carriage 19*7 

Blessing Horses 198 

St. Peter's and the Vatican 200 

Luther Inspired by Satan 203 

Confession to God. — Purchasing Pardon . . . 20-4 

Christ, the True Light 205 

Papa, Doctor Theologise et Magister Fidei . 206 

The Pope Cast into Hell 206 

Luther before Cardinal Cajetan . 208 

Frankfort 211 

Interior of Chapter-house, Canterbury 212 

Thomas Wolsey and his Companions in the 

Stocks 212 

Cardinal Wolsey 213 

The Great Harry 214 

Francis 1 216 

Tilting 21Y 

Champion of the Tournament 217 

The Tournament 218 

The Cooks Getting Dinner 219 

The Queen's Carriage 219 

The Cathedral, Florence 221 

Ignatius Loyola 223 

The Jesuit Missionary 225 

Melancthon 228 

A Street in the Old Town 232 

Doctor Luther at Worms 233 

Luther and the Pope. (From an Old Print) 238 

View from Albert Diirer's House 239 

Wolsey's Palace 241 

Henry and Anne 242 

Main Entrance to Wolsey's Palace 243 

Buckingham 244 

Buckingham on his Way to Prison 245 

The Court at Blackfriars 246 

The Old Guildhall, London 247 

Westminster, 1532 249 

Return from the Christening 250 

Hall in Cardinal Wolsey's Palace 251 

Old Church at Austerfield 252 

The Cardinal's Hat and Seal 253 

More's House 254 



Sir Thomas More 255 

The Guildhall, Norwich 256 

The Tower 258 

The Bloody Tower 239 

Sir Thomas More and his Daughter Mar- 
garet in the Tower 260 

Smithfield in 1546. The Burning of Anne 

Askew 261 

All Day long the People Read it 262 

Gold Medal of Henry VIII 263 

The Beheading-block 265 

Traitor's Gate 266 

Philip 267 

Winchester 268 

A Grandee 269 

St. Mary Overy, Southwark 270 

Street in London in the Time of Mary .... 272 

Bearing Fagots 273 

Hadleigh Church 275 

St. Botolph's Church, Aldgate 275 

Bridge at Hadleigh 276 

Almshouses at Hadleigh 276 

The Martyrs' Stone 277 

Old Chapel at Brentwood 278 

The Old Bocardo Prison, Oxford 279 

Old Marshalsea 28( i 

Burning the Hand 281 

Old Paul's Cross— Riots in 1556 281 

The Martyr's Memorial, Oxford 282 

Bernard Palissy 283 

Heating the Furnace 284 

Wine and Garlic will Make him Strong . . . 285 

Jeanne d'Albret 286 

Catherine de' Medici in Court Dress 287 

Henry and Montgomery at the Tournament. 288 

Chateau of Amboise 290 

Fontainebleau 291 

Charles V 293 

Burning the Monks 296 

The River Avon 299 

Room in which Shakspeare was Born 300 

Skakspeare Reading One of his Plays to 

Elizabeth 301 

The Cardinal of Lorraine 303 

Catherine de' Medici 304 

The Valleys of the Vaudois 306 

Jeanne and Henry escaping from Paris . . . 307 

Burying the Heretics Alive 308 

The Valley of Pra del Tor 309 

Mary, Queen of Scots 311 

Lord Darnley 



12 



16 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

Holyrood Palace 313 

Marguerite of Lorraine 316 

Charles IX 317 

Admiral Coligny 318 

Notre Dame 319 

The Marriage 320 

The Louvre 321 

Assassination of Coligny 322 

Just before Daybreak, Sunday Morning — St. 

Bartholomew 324 

Parting to Meet no More 325 

The Picture which the Pope Ordered to be 

Painted 326 

A Dog Team 328 

William the Silent 329 

The Great Canal 330 

The Fortifications 331 

Leyden 333 

The Old Church 336 

Amsterdam 337 

Queen Elizabeth 339 

Autograph of Queen Elizabeth 343 

Henry III 345 

" With what measure ye mete, it shall be 

measured to you again " 346 

Jacques Clement Killing the King 348 

For the Sake of Peace, He will Acknowledge 

the Pope 349 

Dancing on the Green 362 

Peasants' Ball 353 

Ale-driukers 355 



PAGE 

James 1 356 

Holland Farm-house 358 

Sir Walter Enjoying his Pipe. (From an 

Old Print) 361 

John Smith Resolves to be a General 363 

John Smith's Fight with the Turk 365 

The Three Turks' Heads 366 

Smith's Escape from Slavery 367 

Meeting the Indians 369 

The First Fight 371 

Pocahontas Shields him from their Clubs.. 372 

Submission of the Rappahannocks 374 

Captain Smith Subduing the Chief 375 

Ruins at Jamestown 376 

Off Cape North 378 

The Half-moon in Chesapeake Bay 379 

The Half -moon in the Hudson 380 

A Highway in Holland 383 

St. Peter's Church 384 

Delftshaven 386 

The Farewell Meeting 388 

The Mayfmver 389 

Signing the Agreement 391 

Captain Standish Attacked by the Indians. 394 

Map of Plymouth Bay 395 

Plymouth Harbor, December, 1620 396 

Chair and Chest 397 

" Welcome, Englishmen !" 398 

Massasoit's Visit to the Pilgrims 399 

The Palace of King Massasoit 400 

Sunday at Plymouth 402 







*^^/0 ' •'^J'^-^] 



>\INUSOU C^STLL, FBOM THE MliADOW AT KUNNYMLDt-. 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER I. 



JOHN LACKLAND AND THE BARONS. 

AT the time when this story begins there is very little libert}' in the 
world. It is the 15th of June, and the grass is fresh and green in 
the Rnnnyniede meadow, wlicre the Army of God has set up its encamp- 
ment. No other army like it was ever seen. All the great men of Eng- 
land are in its ranks — the barons and lords, the owners of castles who ride 
on noble horses, wear coats of mail, and are armed with swords and lances. 
Pavilions and tents dot the meadow; flags and banners wave in the 
summer air ; General Fitzwalter is commander. There is no hostile army 
near at hand, nor will there be any clashing of arms on this 15th of June, 
and yet before the sun goes down the Army of God will win a great vic- 

2 



18 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



tory over the King of England, John Lackhmd, who is in Windsor Castle, 
which overlooks the meadow from the south side of the river Thames, 
which comes down from the north-west and sweeps on to London. 

The king is called John Lackland because his father did not deed him 
any land. His brother was Richard Coeur de Lion — the lion-hearted — 
who was brave, but also wicked and cruel. Lie commanded the Ci'usad- 
ers, and fought the Saracens under Saladin, in Palestine. One day he 
told his cook to have some fresh pork for dinner, but the cook had no 
pork, nor did he know where to find a pig. He was in trouble, for if 
there was no pork on the table he would stand a chance of having his 
head chopped off. He had heard it said, however, that human flesh tasted 
like pork. Knowing that no pork was to be had, he killed a Saracen 
prisoner and cooked some of the flesh and placed it on the table. 

The king praised the dinner. Perhaps, however, he mistrusted that it 
was not pork, for, said Richard, " Bring in the head of tlie pig, that I may 
see it." 

The poor cook knew not what to do. Now he certainly would have 
his head cut off. With much trembling he brought in the head of the 
Sai'acen. The king laughed when he saw it. 

"We shall not want for pork as long as we have sixty thousand prison- 
ers," he said, not in the least disturbed to know that he had been eating 
human flesh. The Sai'acen general — Saladin — sent thirty ambassadors to 




BATTLE OF ACRE. 



JOHN LACKLAND AND THE BAKONS. 



19 



Richard beseeching him not to put the prisoners to death. Richard gave 
them an entertainment, and instead of ornamenting the banquet with 



m 




RICHARD SLAUGHTERING THE SARACENS. 



flowers, he had thirty Saracens killed, and their heads placed on the table. 
Instead of acceding to the request of Saladin, he had the sixty thousand 
men, women, and children slaughtered out on the plain east of the city of 
Acre. 

" Tell your master that after such a fashion the Christians wage war 
against infidels," said Richard to 
the ambassadors. Kings did as they 
pleased, but for everybody else there 
was no liberty. 

When Richard died, Jolm seized 
all his money, jewels, and the throne, 
pretending that Richard had made 
a will in his favor. John's older 
brother, Geoffrey, who was heir to 
the throne, was dead ; but Geoffrey 
had a son, Arthur, whose right to 
the throne w^as as good as John's. 
Arthur was a boy, while John was 
thirty - two yeai's old. The uncle 
seized Arthur, and put him into a 
dniiffeon in the Tower in London, crus.vdeus. 




20 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

and ordered tlie keeper, Hubert de Burgh, to put Arthur's eyes out with 
a red-hot iron. Shakspeare has pictured the scene when Hubert entered 
one morning and showed Arthur his uncle's order : 

'■^Arth. Must you with hot irons burn out both mine eyes? 

Hub. Young boy, I must. 

Arth. And will you ? 

Hub. And I will. 

Arth. Have you the heart? When your head did but achs, 
I knit my handkerchief about your brows, 
(The best I had, a princess wrought it me), 
And I did never ask it you again : 
And with my hand at midnight held your head ; 
And, like the watchful minutes to the hour. 
Still and anon cheer'd up the heavy time : 
Saying, What lack you ? and Where lies your grief? 
Or, What good love may I perform for you ? 
Many a poor man's son would have lain still. 
And ne'er have spoke a loving word to you ; 
But you at your sick service had a prince. 
Nay, you may think my love was crafty love, 
And call it cunning; Do, an if you will: 
If Heaven be pleased that you must use me ill, 
Why, then you must. — Will you put out mine eyes ? 
These eyes that never did, nor never shall, 
So much as frown on you? 

Hub. I have sworn to do it, 

And witli hot irons must I burn them out." 

But he did not. Arthur was so affectionate and kind that Hubert had 
not the heart to do it. It is not certainly known what became of Arthur, 
but that John had him murdered is most probable. 

Before John seized the throne, he married a girl named Avisa, daugh- 
ter of the Duke of Gloucester; but afterward he saw Isabella, wife of 
Count La Marche, in Normandy, and deserting Avisa, persuaded the fool- 
ish woman to leave her husband and marry him. When the count and 
his friends flew to arms, he seized them, took them over to England, thrust 
them into loathsome dungeons, and starved them to death, while he lived 
in affluence in the castle at Windsor. 

There were rich Jews in London and Bristol, and John coveted their 
money. He seized them. 

" Give up your money, or I will have your teeth pulled, every one of 
them," said he. Most of them gave up their money; but one man resisted. 

" Pull a tooth," said the king. The tooth was palled. 

" Will you give up your money ?" 

" No." 



JOHN LACKLAND AND THE BARONS. 



21 



" Pull another." Out catne another tooth. 

" Will you comply with the king's demands ?" 

" No." 

'' Pull 'em all out." Out they came. 

" Will you hand over your money ?" 

" No." 

" Then seize it ; take all." So the poor man lost his teeth, and his 
money also. 

John commanded the country people to drive their cattle into camp, 
and supply his soldiers with food. The people in Wales, however, would 
not obey, whereupon he seized twenty -eight 
sons of the chief families, and shut them up 
in prison. That stirred the Welshmen's blood, 
and they flew to arms ; but John, instead of 
giving u[) the 3'oung men, put them to death. 
He is a tyrant. The barons and lords have 
resolved that they will no longer submit to 
his tyranny. They have organized themselves 
into an army, calling themselves the "Army 
of God." A few months ago, they sent a 
deputation to the king, stating their de- 
mands. 

" I will not grant them liberties which 
will make me a slave," he said, swearing ter- 
rible oaths. 

There is no liberty for anybody, except 
for this wicked and cruel tyrant. But his 
answer only makes the barons more deter- 
mined. They resolve that if the king will not grant what they ask, they 
will secure it by the sword. 

John can swear terrible oaths, and make a great bluster ; but he is a 
coward, as all blusterers are, and turns pale when lie flnds that the Arm}^ 
of God is marching to seize him. He sends word to the barons that he 
will meet them at Runnymede on the 15th of June, and grant what they 
desire. The barons have written out their demands on parchment. They 
will have them in writing, and the agreement shall be the law of the 
land. 

John rides down from tlie Castle, accom|)anied by a cavalcade, through 
Windsor forest, where the deer are feeding, and where pheasants are build- 
ing their nests, and meets the barons on an island in the river. He is so 




KING JOHN. 



22 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



fn'o'htened that he does not ask the barons to make any modification of 
their demands, but grants what they desire. A great piece of beeswax, as 
large as a sancer, and an inch thick, is stamped with John's seal, and 
attached to the parchment ; then the king rides back to the Castle, moody 
and gloomy ; but as soon as he gets inside the fortress, he rages like a 
madman, walks the hall, smiting his fists, rolling his eyes, gnashing his 
teeth, biting sticks and chewing straws, cursing the barons, and swearing 
that he will have his revenge. What is this docnment to which the king's 
seal has been attached ? It is a paper establishing a Great Council, com- 
posed of the barons, the archbishops, bishops, and earls, whom the king is 




KOUND TOWER OF WINDSOR CASTLE. 



to summon from time to time by name, and the lesser barons, who are to 
be summoned by the sheriffs of the counties. Together, they are to be a 
Parliament. Hereafter the king shall not levy any taxes that he may 



JOHN LACKLAND AND THE BARONS. 



23 



please, or compel people to drive their cattle into camp ; but Parliament 
shall saj- what taxes shall be levied. The barons may choose twenty-five 




WINDSOR CASTLE (sOUTH VIEw). 

of their number, who shall see that the provisions of the agreement are 
carried out. Another agreement is that no freeman shall be punished till 
after he has had a trial by his equals. There are other stipulations, but 
these are the most important. The agreement is called the Magna Charta, 
or Great Charter. 

Jolm Lackland plans his revenge. There is a powerful man in Rome, 
the most powerful man on earth, w^io will aid him — Pope Innocent III. 
He claims to be, and the barons and everybody else regard him as God's 
representative on earth. He has all power. The people have been taught 
to believe that he is the only individual in the world who has the right to 
say w^hat men shall believe and what they shall do, and that he can do no 
wrong ; that what he says is right is right. He is superior to all kings 
and emperors. Just after the great battle of Hastings, which was fought 
in October, 1066, Pope Gregory YII, made these declarations : 

'■ To the Pojye helongs the right of making new laios. 

^' All the princes of the earth shall kiss his feet. 

'"He has the rigid (f deposing emperors. 



24 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



" The sentence of the Pope can he revoked by none. 

" He can he judged hy 7ione. 

'■''None may dare to pronounce sentence upon any one who appeals to 
the Pope. 

" He never has erred, nor can he ever err. % 

'•'■He can loose subjects from the oath of fealty. 

" The Pop>e is holy. He can do no wrongp 

John has ah-eadj hnmUiated himself before the Pope, and acknowl- 
edged him as his superior in everything. lie sends a copy of the Char- 
tei-, that the Pope may read it, begging to be released from keeping his 
oath. 

The Pope is very angry when he reads the Charter, for he sees that it 
encroaches upon his authority, taking political affairs out of his hands. 
He swears a terrible oath that the barons shall be punished for daring to 
take such liberties. He releases John from his oath, and sends word to 
the barons that if they do not renounce the Charter he will excommuni- 
cate them. The barons are not frightened, however, and send back this 
reply : 

" It is not the Pope's business to meddle with the political affairs or 
the rights and liberties of Englishmen." 




WINDSOR CASTLE (EAST VIEW). 



JOHN LACKLAND AND THE BARONS. 



25 



The Pope excommunicates them, and aids John in stirring np the peo- 
ple to fight the barons. He excommunicates the Archbishop of Canter- 
bury, the highest prelate in England, who officiates in Canterbury Cathe- 
dral, and who sides with them. The barons, seeing that the Pope and 
John together are too strong for them, offer the crown to Lewis, son of 
the King of France. The French king is quite willing to send an army 
to help them, John marches along the sea-coast to prevent the landing of 
the French, and comes to a low place when the tide is out ; but the tide 
comes in suddenly with a rnsh and roar, and he loses all his carriages, 
treasure, baggage, regalia, and many of his soldiers, and is obliged to flee. 



V-. 




THE PLACE WHERE THE 3IAGNA CHARTA AVAS SIGNED. 

A few months later, broken down by fever, by disappointment, and rage, 
he dies at Norwich, and his son, Henry III., comes to the throne. 

There are two classes of people in England — the upper and the lower 
class — the barons and the villains. A villain in the nineteenth century is 
a swindler, a cheat ; but six hundred years ago a villain was a poor man 
who worked for his living. He was a serf, and owed allegiance to the 
barons. The villains could not own any land, nor could they own them- 
selves. They had no rights nor liberties. 

The barons are a few hundreds, the villains several millions. The 
barons, while demanding their own liberties, are not thinking of obtaining 
any liberties for the villains. It does not occur to them that a vilhain has 



26 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




"he has the right of deposing emperors." 

any rights or liberties. Little do they laiow, however, of what will grow 
out of that parchment. 

Six centuries and a half have passed since that 15th of June, in 1215, 
at Runnymede ; the meadows are as fresh and green as then ; the river 
winds as peacefully as it has through all the years. England and Amer- 



JOHN LACKLAND AND THE BARONS. 



27 




ALL THE PKINCES OF THE EARTH SHALL KISS HIS FEKT. 

ica have become great and powerful nations ; but would they have been 
what they are if the Army of God had not won that victory over John 
Lackland ? No ; for out of that Charter have come the Parliament of 
Great Britain and the Congress of the United States, and many other 
things. It was the first great step of the Englisli people toward freedom. 
Not far from that verdant meadow w^here the army set up its encamp 
ment is a little old stone church, with iv}^ creeping over its walls and 
climbing its crumbling tower. One hundred and fifty years ago, Thomas 
Gray, a poet, wlio lived in a little hamlet near by, used to wander out in 
the evening to meditate in the old 
church -yard, and here he wrote a 
sweet poem, beginning, 

"The curfew tolls the knell of parting day; 
The lowing herd winds slowly o"er the lea ; 
The ploughman homeward plods his weary 
way, 
And leaves the world to darkness and to me." 

A few years after he wrote it, in 
1759, one ni2:ht a o-reat fleet of Eno-- 
lish war-ships was moored in tlie river St. Lawrence, and an army in boats 




THE CHURCH. 



28 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



with muffled oars was silently moving along the stream. The general 
commanding it was James Wolfe, a j'oung man only thirty years of age. 
In his army were soldiers from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Isl- 




CANTEKBURY CATHEDRAL. 



and, Connecticut, and New York. One of General Wolfe's officers was 
Colonel Israel Putnam, of Connecticut ; another was Eichard Montgom- 
ery, of New York. As tlie boats moved along the stream, the brave young 
general from England recited this verse of the poem : 

"The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, 

And all that beauty, all that wealth, e'er gave, 
Await, alike, th' inevitable hour ; 

The paths of glory lead but to the grave." 

" I would rather be the author of that poem than take Quebec to-mor- 
row," said he. 

But would the poem ever have been written if the Army of God had 
not set up its banners ? Quite likely not. 

In the darkness the army under General Wolfe climbed the steep bank 
of the St. Lawrence — so steep and so nari-ow the path that only one man 
at a time could climb it; and in the morning the whole army stood on 
the Plains of Abraham, behind Quebec. Before another sunset a great 



JOHN LACKLAND AND THE BARONS. 



29 



battle had been fought, a great victory won. Wolfe was Aictor, Mont- 
cahn the vanqnislied ; but both were dead. The flag of France, which 
had floated above the citadel of Quebec, the emblem of French power, 
disappeared forevei", and the flag of England appeared in its place. From 
that time on there was to be another language, another literature, another 
religion, another civilization, in the Western World. But would the bat- 
tle ever have been fought, would things in America be as they are, if the 
barons had not obtained that agreement in writing from John Lackland ? 
No. That parchment, crumpled and worn and yellow with time, with the 
great round seal attached to it, lies in a glass case in the British Museum, 
London. The parchment is but a piece of sheepskin ; the wax was made 
by the bees which hummed amidst the hawthorn hedges of old England 
six hundred years ago. The parchment and the wax are of very little 
account in themselves, but what has come from them is of infinite value. 
As this story goes on, it will be seen that the assembling of the Army 
of God in the meadow of Runnj'mede was the beginning of the liberty 
which we now enjoy. 




GRA.Y S MONUMIiNX. 



30 



THE STORY OB^ LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER 11. 

THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 

DOCTOR JOHN WICKLIF has been dead these forty years, and his 
bones have been lying the while in Lutterworth Church-yard ; but it 
has been deci'eed by the great Council of Constance that they shall lie there 
no longer. A party of monks, with pick and spade, have dug them up, 
and now they kindle a lire, burn them to powder, and shovel the ashes into 

a brook which sweeps 
past the church-yard; 
and the brook bears 
them on to the Avon, 
which, after winding 
through Stratford 
meadows, falls into the 
Severn, and the Sev- 
ern bears tliem to the 
sea. But why are the 
monks so intent upon 
annihilating the doc- 
tor's bones ? Because 
the doctor, who was 
a preacher, though he 
has been dead so 
long, still continues to 
preach ! The monks 
LUTTERWORTH CHURCH. will liavc uo more of 

it ; and they think that 
by getting rid of his bones they will put an end to his preaching. They 
forget that there are some things which the fire will not burn — such as 
liberty, truth, justice. Little do they think that the doctor will keep on 
preaching; that his parish will be the world, his followers citizens of every 
land ; that his preaching, together with that parchment and the great piece 




THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 



31 



of beeswax attached to it, wliicli the barons obtained from John Lackland, 
will bring about a new order of things in human affairs; that thrones 
will be overturned ; that sovereigns will become subjects, and subjects 
sovereigns. 

A century has passed since the Magna Cliarta was obtained, but not 
much liberty has come from that document as yet. The people are still 



-,'»-, 




STKATFORU. 



32 



THE STOKY OF LIBERTY. 




THE MONKS. 



villains. Tlie king and tlie barons plunder them ; the monks, friars, bishops. 
and archbishops — a swarm of men live upon them. They must pay taxes 
to the king, to the barons, and to the priests ; and they have no voice in 
saying what or how much the taxes shall be. They are ignorant. They 
have no books. Not one man in a thousand can read. The priests and 

the parish clerks, the bishops, rich men, and 
their children are the oidy ones who have an 
opportunity of obtaining an education. There 
are no schools for the poor. 

The priests look sharply after their dues. 
Be it a wedding, a funeral, the saying of mass 
for the dead, baptizing a child, granting abso- 
lution for sin, or any otlier service, the priest 
must have his fee. The country is overrnn 
with monks and friars — Carmelites, who wear 
white gowns ; Fi-anciscans, dressed in gray ; 
Augustinians and Dominicans, who wear black. 
They live in monasteries and abbeys, shave 
their crowns, and go barefoot. They have 
taken solemn vows to have nothing to do with 




CARMELITE MONK. 



THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 



33 



the world, to spend their time in fasting and praying ; but, notwitlistand- 
ing their vows, none of the people — none but the rich men— can spread 
sucli bountiful tables as they, for the monasteries, abbeys, nunneries, con- 
vents, and bishoprics hold half the land in England, and their revenues 
are greater than the king's. In the monastery lai-ders are shoulders of fat 
juntton, quarters of juicy beef, haunches of choice venison. In the cellars 




GOOD oi.i) ^^INE. 



34 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



are casks of good old wine from the vineyards of Spain and the banks 
of the Rhine, and yet the friars are the greatest beggars in the country. 
They go from house to house, leading a donkey, with panniers lashed to 




THK WAY ST. DUNSTAN SERVED THE DEVIL. 



the animal's sides, or else carry a sack on their backs, begging money, 
butter, eggs, cheeses, receiving anything which the people may give ; and 
in return invoking the blessings of the saints upon their benefactors, and 
cursing those who refuse to give. They have relics for sale : shreds of 
clothing which they declare was worn by the Virgin Mary ; pieces of the 
true cross ; bones of saints — all very holy. 

They have a marvellous story to relate of St. Dunstan, who was a 
blacksmith, and very wicked, but afterward became a good man, and was 
made Archbishop of Canterbury. One day the devil came and looked 



THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 



35 



into the window where the saint was at work, trying to tempt him, where- 
upon St. Dnnstan seized his red-hot tongs and clapped them upon the 
devil's nose, which made the fiend roar with pain ; but the saint held him 
fast till he promised to tempt him no more. 

The people are very ignorant. There are no schools ; there are none 
to teach them except the priests, monks, and friars, who have no desire to 
see the people gaining knowledge, for knowledge is power, and ignorance 
weakness. The people are superstitious, as ignorant people generally are. 
They believe in hobgoblins and ghosts. They have startling stories to re- 
late of battles between brave knights and dragons that spit tire, and are 
terrible to behold. St. George, the patron saint of England, had a fierce 
encounter with a dragon, and came off victorious. The peasants relate the 
stories by their kitchen fires ; the nobles narrate them in their castles ; the 
poets rehearse the exploits of the brave knights in verses, which the min- 
strels sing from door to door. Although no one ever has seen a dragon, 
yet everybody believes that such creatures exist, and may make their ap- 
pearance at any moment. 




The people believe in witches. 
Old women who are wrinkled and 
bent with age are supposed to sell 
themselves to the devil, and he gives them power to come and go through 
the air at will, riding a broomstick, at night, bent on mischief ; with pow- 



30 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




er to fly into people's houses 
through the keyholes, to bewitch 
men, women, children, horses, 
dogs, cattle, and everything. If 
a horse is contrary, the people 
say old Goody So-and-so has be- 
witched it; if the butter will not 
come in the churn, the cream 
is bewitched ; if anything hap- 
pens out of the usual course, the 
witches are the mischief. 

" Tliere is mischief in the air." 

King, priest, nor people will not 
suffer witches to live, for the 
IVihle commands their destruc- 
tion, say the prelates of the 
Church, who alone have the Bi- 
ble ; and many a poor, innocent 
woman is put to death. 

The monks and friars hav- 
ing been recognized by the Pope, and holding their authority directly 
from him, assert their right to preach in the churches, crowding out the 
parish priests. 

Little good does their preaching do. It is mostly marvellous stories 
about the saints, and what happened to people who did not feed them ; or 
about the wonderful mii-acles performed b}' relics. They sell pardons for 
sins committed or to be committed ; and they have indulgences absolving 
men from all penalties in this life, as well as after death. The monks 
drive a thrifty trade in the sale of relics. The good people w^ho believe 
all the stories of their wonderful power to cure diseases, to preserve them 
from harm, bow down before the bits of bone, and pieces of wood, and 
rusty nails, and rags which they exhibit ; but there are so many relics 
that some of the people begin to see the tricks which the monks are 
playing upon them, for it is discovered that John the Baptist had four 
shoulder-blades, eight arms, eleven fingers, besides twelve complete hands, 
thirteen skulls, and seven whole bodies — enough almost for a regiment ! 
It is discovered that some of St. Andrew's bones once belonged to a cow ; 
that St. Patrick had two heads — one small, preserved when he was a boy, 
and the other large, the one he wore when he became a man ! 



JIISCHIKF IN THE AIU. 



THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 



37 



Some of the monks spend their time in writing books — printing the 
letters with a pen ; but many of them are lazy. The abbots and bishops 
are fond of hunting foxes, and ride with the country gentlemen after the 
hounds, and sit down to good dinners in the barons' halls. The parish 
priests, for the most part, are ignorant. Their sermons on Sunday are 
narratives of monkish traditions, stories of the saints, with commands to 
attend mass. They get up spectacles called " miracle plays," acting them 
as dramas. They ask the women and girls indecent questions when they 
come to confession, and their lives are very far from being pure. They 
are so debased tiiat they drink themselves drunk in the village ale-house. 

If the monks, or priests, or bishops commit a crime, even though it be 
murder, the king cannot arrest them, for the bishops have their court, and 
a man who enters the priesthood is not amenable to civil law. They are 
let oif with a light penance, and then may go on saying mass, and absolv- 
ing the people from their 
sins. But if one of the peo- 
ple commits murder, he will 
have his head chopped oif 
by one of the king's execu- 
tioners. 

The priests, however, are 
not all of them wicked. 
There are some who, instead 
of spending their time in the 
ale-houses, or in plunder- 
ing their parishioners, look 
kindly after their welfare. 
Some are learned men, edu- 
cated at Oxford or Cam- 
bridge, who exhort the peo- 
ple to lead honest lives. The 
man whose bones the monks 
are burning was a good 
priest, a learned man. We 
may think of him as attend- 
ing school, when a boy, at 
Oxford, graduating from one 
of the colleges ; and, after 
graduating, he studies theol- 
ogy, and becomes a priest, 




A MONK PREACHING. 



38 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



and preaches in the Oxford chnrches. Pie is so learned and eloqnent that 
the people come in crowds to hear him. There are students at Oxford 
from all over Europe— from France, Holland, Switzei-land, Germany, and 
Bohemia— thirty thousand or more — who listen to his preachino-. His 
fame reaches London ; the king (Ed^<^ai-d HI.) sends for him, and he 
preaches to the court. 

A girl, who is as good as she is beautiful— Anne, the daughter of the 
King of Bohemia— comes to England to be the wife of the Prince vi 



11 




ADORATION OF RELICS. 



Wales, Eichard II. She listens to Doctor Wicklif, and becomes his friend. 
With her come many of the nobles of Bohemia, and learned men. One 
of them is Professor Faulfash, who has been to the universities of Heidel- 
berg, in Bavaria ; Cologne, on the banks of the Rhine ; and to Paris. 
He listens with great pleasure to the eloquent young preacher, and, when 
he goes back to Bohemia, carries with him some of the books which Doc- 
tor Wicklif has written. 

Let us not forget Professor Faulfash, for we shall see him again 
by-and-by. 



THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 



39 



Doctor Wicklif is a good 
man, and preaches against 
the immoral practices of the 
monks and friars. He does 
not arraign them before the 
Bisliops' Court for their ex- 
tortion, drunkenness, or infa- 
mous living; but he arraigns 
them at the bar of public 
opinion, and that is a great 
offence in tlie eyes of the 
monks, who say that the peo- 
ple have no right to have an 
opinion. The Pope decrees 
tliat men must believe in re- 
ligion as he believes. There 
is no appeal from his decree. 
If a man believes differently, 
he shall be thrown into pris- 
on, tortured till he makes 
<ionfession, and then he is 
burned to death, and all his 

property confiscated. Who gave the popes this authority ? No one ; 
they took it, and, having taken it, they intend to keep it. 

The Pope com- 
^^i.i^^&^«:j f" missions a set of 

men to hunt for 
heretics. They 
are Incpiisitors, or 
men who ask ques- 
tions, and have 
power to put men 
to death, to tort- 
ure, to confiscate 
property. We shall 
fall in with them 
farther along in 
tlie stor}'. 

Notwithstand- 

FRONT OF BALIOL COLLEGE, OXFORD. Ing the PopC prO' 




THE INTERIOR OF CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD. 




40 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

fesses to be holy and incapable of doing wrong, Doctor Wicklif informs- 
the people that the priests, the monks, tlie bishops, and the Pope huiiself, 
are sinfnl, like other men. They belong to a holy othce, but that alone 
does not make them holy men. To be holy they must lead righteous lives. 
It is not right for them to extort a living from the people, by threatening 
them with the loss of their souls if they do not supply their wants. Doc- 
tor Wicklif denounces them as a set of robbers who live upon the fat of 
the land, while the people are in poverty and wi-etchedness. They take 
from the people, and give nothing in return. They are ignorant; many 
of them cannot read, and can only mumble a few prayers. They mani- 
fest no desire to acquire knowledge, and would like to keep the people in 
ignorance. He maintains that the king is superior to the Pope in his 
own realm, and that he has a right to put a stop to all the swindling and 
extortions of the monks, and to punish men who commit crime. They 
cannot tolerate such preaching, for it makes the king greater than the 
Pope. It is the exercise of an individual opinion, the beginning of indi- 
vidual liberty. " Doctor Wicklif is a heretic !" they cry. That is a terri- 
ble accusation. A heretic is a fellow who does not believe as they believe. 
A man who does not beheve that the Pope can do no wrong, that he is 
not superior to kings, is worthy of death. He ought to be burned. It is 
the duty of the Pope, the bishops, and the priests to prevent the spread 
of such opinions. If a man is afflicted with a cancer, is it not the duty 
of the physicians to cut it out, to burn it with fire ? The Pope and the 
bishops are God's physicians, and they must destroy all heretics: so they 
reason. But who gave them this authority over the beliefs of men ? No 
one. They took it, and have exercised it so long that they honestly be- 
lieve that they truly are God's agents, and that it is their duty to exercise 
it, and to exterminate all who do not believe as they do. They believe 
that they will be doing God service if they put to death all who do not 
believe what the Pope decrees, or who does not obey all his commands. 
Men have no right to any opinions of their own. So at this period tlie 
intellects and consciences of men are in slavery. 

Doctor Wicklif is summoned to appear before the P>ishops' Court, in 
the palace of the Archbishop of Canterbury, a great building which stands 
on the banks of the Thames, in Lambeth Parish, London. On a day in 
January, 1378, the bishops, in their flowing i-obes, sit in the Council Cham- 
bers to try the man wlio has preached such obnoxious doctrines. All 
London is astir. People come in boats and on foot, filling the streets. 
Nobles and great men are there ; one is the powei-f ul Duke of Lancaster, 
John of Gaunt. Many of the people and the duke alike are determined 



THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 



41 



that 110 harm shall come to the man who has preached so fearlessly, and 
whom they love. Anne of Bohemia sends word that he must be protect- 
ed. The bishops do not uare to put him in pi-ison ; but they report him 
to the Pope, and the Pope sends a bull — not an animal with four legs and 
two horns, and ferocious, but a piece of parchment, with a ribbon and a 
round piece of lead attached to it, which is called a bulla. The Pope's 




LAMBETH PALACE. 



seal is stamped upon the lead, ordering Wicklif to make his appearance in 
Rome to answer the charges preferred against him. The Pope cannot 
allow a parish priest to set up his opinions unchallenged, for to permit 



3* 



42 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



Doctor Wicklif to go on will be the subversion of all the authority and 
power of the Pope, bishops, and priests, and in time the whole fabric of 
ecclesiastical government will tumble to the ground. 

Although the Pope sends his summons, Doctor Wicklif does not obey 
it, for he is getting to be an old man, and, besides, there are two popes 
just now — one in Eome, and one at Avignon, in France. There is a great 
division in the Church. The people compare the two popes to the dog 
Cerberus, which, according to the old Greeks, sat at the gate leading to 
the infernal regions. The popes are fighting each other. The King of 




READING THE BULL. 



Castile recognizes the French Pope, whereupon the Roman Pope sends 
word to the people of Castile that if they do not obey him they will be 
forever accursed. The Roman head, to obtain money, sells the offices of 
the Church. Anybody can be a bishop, archbishop, or cardinal by pay- 
ing for it. He sells the offices over and over ; and if those wliom he has 
cheated complain, he can laugh in their faces : he has their money, and 
they may help themselves if they can. Pie suspects that some of the car- 
dinals are corresponding with the other Pope : that is a terrible offence, in 
his eyes. He puts them to torture to wring a confession from them, and 



THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 



43 




PREACHING-PLACE, LONDON. 



then puts them to death. He 

cnrses all who oppose hiin, 

swears fearful oaths, and takes 

his revenge upon some priests 

who oifend him by sewing 

them up in sacks, taking them ~ ^^^|^< 

out to sea, and pitching them 

overboard ! 

Doctor "Wicklif reasons 

wisely that it will not do for 

him to make his appearance 

in Rome before such a Pope, 

and he is more than ever of 

the opinion that the Pope 

commits sin, as well as other 

men. He remains in England, preaching to the good people of Lutter- 
worth. Sometimes he preaches in London, at the preaching-place erected 

in tlie streets. He has great crowds to hear him on Sunday, and works 

hard through the weeks, translating a book from the Latin into the Eng- 
lish language — the Bible. The only 
Bibles in England are in the libraries 
of Oxford, Cambridge, abbeys and 
monasteries, and some of the churches. 
They are all in Latin or Hebrew, 
written on parchment. Scarcely one 
person in ten thousand has ever read 
a Bible. Doctor Wicklif believes 
that the people have a right to read 
it, although the Pope has forbidden 
its reading by any except the priests, 
monks, and bishops, and other prel- 
ates of the Church. But into what 
dialect shall he translate it ? for there 
is no uniform language in England. 
Li the Eastern counties — the East 
Midland section, as it is called, where 
the Saxons first landed and obtained 
a foothold — the language is almost 
wholly Saxon ; in the Southern coun- 
jouN AMcKLiF TKAN'sLATiNG THE BiBLK. tics — all uloug thc South shore. whefo 




44 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



the Normans landed — the language is largely Norman. In the Western 
and Northern counties are other dialects, so unlike that of the East or 
South that a man from the old town of Boston, on the East coast, or a 

man from Plymouth, on the South coast, would 
hardly be able to make himself understood by a 
countryman from York or Lancaster. 

Doctor Wicklif selects the East Midland — his 
own native dialect — which is spoken by a major- 
ity of the people ; besides, it is strong, vigorous, 
and expressive. Many other preachers believe 
that the people have a right to read the Bible, 
and clerks are set to work making copies of 
the translation, which are placed on desks in the 
churches, and chained, so that no one can take 
them away. 

The people listen to the reading with wonder 
and delight. They begin to think ; and M'hen 
men begin to think, thej take a step towai-d free- 
dom. They see that the Bible gives them rights 
which hitherto have been denied them — the right 
to read, to acquire knowledge. Schools are start- 
ed. Men and women, who till now have not known a letter of the alpha- 

the beginning of 
-the beirinninof of 




BIBLE CHAINED TO A DESK. 



bet, learn to read : children teach their parents. 



a new life — a new order of thino-s in the community 
liberty. 

One of Doctor Wicklif's friends is Geoffrey Chancer, a poet, who helps 
on the cause of freedom mightily in another way. He is a learned man, 
and has been to Genoa and Florence on an embassy for the king, and has 
made the acquaintance of many renowned men. He is a short, thick-set 
man, Avith a pleasant coimtenance, and laughing eyes. He is M'itty and 
humorous. The king thinks so much of him that he directs his butler to 
send the poet a pipe of his best Avine every year. The Princess of Wales 
(Anne, from Bohemia) is pleased to call him her friend, and the poet dedi- 
cates a poem to her, entitled " The Legend of a Good Woman." He sets 
himself also to write some stories in verse, which he calls " The Canter- 
bury Tales ;" but M'liile he is writing them, let us see what is going on in 
England. 

In 1377, Hichard II. is made king. The barons complain to him that 
the villains — the people Mho owe them service — do not give it; that 
they are banding themselves to throw off the service altogether, claim- 



THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 



45 



ing that freedom is their right. Doctor Wicklif's books and preacliing 
have set them to thinking, and preachers are going here and there teli- 
ing the people that the barons have no claim npon them. One of the 
agitators is a fellow named John Bull, who sings sarcastic ballads. In 
one of them he rehearses this couplet : 

"When Adam delved and Eve span, 
Who was then the gentleman ?" 

The people ask the question over and over, and make up their minds that 
they, as well as the men who live in castles, have some natural rights. 

One day a baron arrests a burgher, and imprisons him in Rochester 
Castle, claiming that he is his slave, whereupon the people seize their arms, 
surround the castle, and set the prisoner at liberty. 

Every individual in the kingdom is taxed — every child, every man and 
woman. A child must pay so much, a grown person more. A tax-col- 




lector comes to John Walter's house. Walter earns a living by laying 
tiles on the roofs of houses. The people call him the Tiler, or Tyler, and 
instead of pronouncing his full name — John Walter, the tiler — call him 
Wat Tyler. He has a daughter, just growing to womanhood. 

" She must pay a full tax," says the collector. 

" No ; she is not a woman yet," the mother replies. 



46 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



" I'll soon find out whether she is a woman or not," the tax-collector 
answers, and rudely insults the girl. 

" Help ! lielp !" The mother shouts the words, and her husband comes 
in with a club. 

" What do you mean by insulting my daughter ?" 

The collector is a ruffian ; having insulted the daughter, he lifts his 
hand to give the father a blow, when down comes the cudgel upon 










^:^^^^'^::^^^~ 



CANTERBURY. 



the fellow's head, crashing the skull, and scattering his brains about the 
room. The news spreads. The people join the Tyler. They are ready 
for "insurrection. They seize their swords, bows and arrows, and clubs. 

" Let us march to London and see the king," they shout. From all the 
towns of Kent they come, one hundred thousand or more. They attack 
the houses of the knights, lords, and nobles. They swarm into Canterbury, 
and pillage the palace of the archbishop, who lives in great state, and to 
whom a large portion of the taxes are paid. There is great excitement in 
London. The young king, his mother, and many of the nobles take refuge 
in the Tower, for the news has reached them that the insurgents are arrest 
ing all the high-born men and women they can find. They seize Sir John 
Newton, threaten him with death if he will not do as they command, and 
send him to the king, desiring Richard to meet them at Blackheath, just 
out of London. The king is brave. He will 2:0 and see them. He leaves 



THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 



47 



the Tower in his barge, with the barons. The boatmen pull at the oars, 
and in a short time they reacli the multitude, who, upon seeing the barge, 
set up a great shout. 

" I have come at your request. What do you desire ?" the king 
asks. 

There is a great outcry — all speaking at once ; and the barons, fearing 
an archer may draw his bow and shoot the king, advise him to return to 
the Tower. This angers the crowd. " To London ! to London !" they 
shout ; and the multitude, barefooted, bareheaded, armed with clubs, surge 
on toward Southwark. They are on the south side of the river, while the 
largest part of the city is on the north side, and there is only one bridge. 
The citizens raise the draw, and tlie excited rabble cannot cross the 
Thames. The rich merchants of London own beautiful villas on the south 
side, and the hungry, ragged, excited multitudes ransack the houses, de- 
stroying property, and committing great havoc. The people of London 
sympathize with the people of 
Kent, for they, too, are groan- 
ing under the taxes. ' 

" We will let down the 
drawbridge, and permit them 
to come into the city. We will 
show them that we are their 
friends, and then they will be 
quiet," the Londoners say to 
each other. 

The drawbridge is lower- 
ed, and the great black crowd 
|X)urs across the bridge. The 
people give bread and wine 
and liquor, which excite the 
insurrectionists all the more. 
They rush to the Palace of 
Savoy, owned by the Duke of 
Lancaster, bring out all the 
furniture — the tables, chairs, 

the silver plate — heap all in a pile, and set it on fire. They do not steal 
the silver. One man undertakes to secrete a silver cup, but the others 
])itch him upon the fire. 

" We are here in the cause of truth and righteousness, not as thieves,'' 
the}^ say. 




THE WESTGATE, CANTERBURY. 



48 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



What shall the king do ? 



He cannot fight the insurgents, for he has 
only four thousand troops. This is what his councillors advise him : 

" It is better to appease them by making a show of granting what they 
desire than to oppose them ; for if you oppose them, all the common peo- 
ple of England will join them, and we shall be swept away." 

The next morning the king meets Wat Tyler and some of the leaders 
at Mile End, in a meadow, and grants what they desire. He sets his clerks 




SAVOY PALACE, 



to making out charters for the towns, abolishing taxes, and granting privi- 
leges never before enjoyed. Most of the people are satisfied, and retni-n 
to their homes ; but some, still thirsting for revenge against the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury, make their way to the Tower, seize the archbishop 
and some of the priests, drag them into the Tower yard, and chop off their 
heads, which they place upon poles, and carry them, dripping with blood, 
through the streets. 

Richard hears of what is going on, mounts his horse, and rides out to 
meet the rioters. He rides boldly up to Wat Tyler, who draws a knife ; 
but before he can use it, tlie Mayor of London whips out his swoi*d and 
runs it through Wat's body, and the rioter tumbles to the ground. Wat's, 
followers rush up, but Richard looks them calmly in the face. 

" Come, my friends, I will be your leader," he says. 



THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 



4^ 



It is a brave speech for a boy of fifteen to make ; but the men of Kent 
like Richard's phick, and lower their spears. The king's troops come gal- 
loping upon the field, ready to draw their swords. 

" Yon must not harm them. Let them go peacefully to their homes," 
says Richard ; and the people, feeling that the young king is their friend, 
return to their homes. 

But the barons are determined that the people shall not have their 
freedom. The bishops are angry over the death of the archbishop, and 
demand that punishment shall be meted out, not to those who were in- 
strumental in putting him to death, but upon all the people — in the revok- 
ing of the charters which Richard has just granted. What can the boy 
do ? Are not the barons, lords, bishops, and great men wiser than him- 
self ? He cannot stand alone against them; he complies with their de- 
mands, but reconmiends Parliament to give the people their freedom. 

" Give them their freedom !" the barons exclaim. "Never will we be 
deprived of the service which they 
owe us." 

" Doctor Wicklif's pernicious 
doctrines are at the bottom of all 
tliis," the bishops, the monks, and 
friars exclaim. 

The Lords pass a law, which the 
bishops think will put an end to the 
mischief, in which the sheriffs are 
ordered to put all heretics in prison 
until they justify themselves before 
the bishops. The only appeal from 
the Bishops' Court is to the Pope, 
who is sewing men up in sacks and 
casting them into the sea. The 
Commons will not consent to such 
a law, and so the Magna Charta be- 
gins to protect the people. 

The Pope sells a fat office to an 
Italian. The office is an abbot's 
position in the bishopric of Wells ; 
but the bishop of that diocese does 
not relish it, nor do the other bish- 
ops, for the next ship may bring other Italian vagabonds to plunder the 
people. They join in declaring that the right of appointment belongs to 

4 




A BISHOP. 



50 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



the king, and not to the Pope, wlierenpon tlie Pontiff, who pitches of- 
fending priests into the sea, excommunicates them ; that is, he threat- 
ens to shut them out of heaven if they do not ask his pardon. Perhaps 
the bishops think that a man who tortures cardinals to death because 
he suspects that they are working against him, who sells ojQices in the 
Church to the highest bidder, even though lie be Pope, may not, after 
all, hold the keys of heaven, for they persuade Parliament to pass this 
law : 

'''• All jpersonn loho recognize the Pope at Rome as being in authority 
superior to the king shall forfeit their lands and all their property, and 
have no protection from the king.''^ 

The bishops are members of Parliament, and by obtaining the passage 
of such a law array the nation on their side. Little do they dream of 




THE PILGRIMS STARTING FROM THE TABARD TAVERN. 



what will come from tliis action of theirs. They do not mistrust that 
when a century has rolled away, a king, Henry VIII., will pick up this 
act, and use it as a sword against the Pope, and strike a blow which 
will split the Church in twain. We shall see by -and -by how it came 
about. 

The people are fast becoming heretics, or Lollards, as the monks and 
friars call them — comparing them to tares, or lolium^ in a field of wheat. 
The poet Geoffrey Chaucer is sowing tares very effectively in a quiet way. 
He has completed his story in verse, and the people are reading it. He 
has written it in the East Midland dialect, adding some Norman words to 



THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 



51 



give it grace and beauty. It describes a party of pilgrims who meet at 
the Tabard Tavern, in London, on their way to the shrine of Thomas 
Becket,in Canterbury Cathe- 
<3raL Becket was a priest, 
arrogant, self-willed, who re 
fused to acknowledge the su- 
perior authority of the king. 
Henry II,, and who was put 
to death by some of the 
king's friends ; but the Pope 
humbled the monarch, who 
was obliged to kneel naked 
before Becket's tomb, while 
the monks lashed his bare 
back with a bundle of sticks. 
He found that the Pope was 
more powerful than him- 
self. 

To make a pilgrimage to 
somebody's tomb, to say Pa- 
ter-nosters and Ave-Marias 
over the bones of a dead 
monk or nun, is supposed to 
be a meritorious act, and so 
all over England — over Eu- 
rope — men and women are 
making pilgrimages. Among the pilgrims who travel from London to 
Canterbui-y are a priest, a monk, a friar, a pardoner, and a summoner. 
The pardoner has pardons for sale ; the summoner is the sheriff, who 
brings offenders before the Bishops' Court. Although the monks and 
friars have vowed to wear coarse clothes and live on mean fare, none 
are better dressed than they, none live so luxuriously. The poet is one 
of the pilgrims, and describes his fellow-travellers : 

"A monk there was of skill and mastery proud, 
A manly man — to be an abbot able — 
And many a noble horse had he in stable. 
I saw his large sleeves trimmed above the hand 
With fur — the finest in the land. 
His head was bald, and shone like polished glass. 
And so his face, as it had been anoint, 
While he was very fat and in good point- 




THK MONKS HUMBLING THE KING. 

(From an Old Print.) 



62 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

Shining his boots ; his horse right proud to see, 
A prelate proud, majestic, grand was he ; 
He was not pale, as a poor pining ghost ; 
A fat goose loved he best of any roast. 

******* 
A friar there was, a wanton and a merry, 
Licensed to beg, a wondrous solemn man, 
His pockets large — he stuffed them fidl of knives, 
And pins, or presents meant for handsome wives. 
The biggest beggar he among the brothers. 
He took a certain district as his grant, 
Nor would he let another come within his haunt. 




CH\^UCLRS MONDMLNT. 

" A summoner there was, riding on apace. 
Who had a fire-red cherubim's large face ; 
Pimpled and wrinkled wei-e his flabby cheeks, 
Garlic he much loved, onions too, and leeks. 
Strong wine he loved to drink — as red as blood ; 
Then would he shout and jest as he were mad. 
Oft down his throat large draughts he poured ; 
Then, save in Latin, he would not speak a word. 
Some sentences he knew — some two or three 
Which he had gathered out of some degree. 
No wonder, for he heard it all the day; 
And surely, as you know, a popinjay 
Can call out ' Wat /' as well as any pope. 



THE MAN WHO PREACHED AFTER HE WAS DEAD. 53 

" You could not such another pardoner trace. 
For in his pack he had a pillow-case, 
Which, as he said, was once the Virgin's veil. 
He also had a fragment of the sail 
St. Peter had when, as iiis heart misgave him 
Upon the sea, he sought the Lord to save him. 
He had a golden cross — one set with precious stones ; 
And in a case — what carried he ? Pig s bones ! 
He, in a single day, more money got 
Than the poor parson in a year, I wot. 
And thus with flattery, feints, and knavish japes 
He made the parson and the people apes," 

So the ])oet holds these pilgrims up to ridicule. The monks and friata 
are very angry, and lay a plan to kill Chaucer, who is obliged to flee to 
Holland, the land of the windmills ; but, after a time, he returns to find 
that the people are fast becoming Lollards. The reading of the Bible in 
English has set the people to thinking about the monks, while the "Canter- 
bury Tales" have set the community to laughing at them. From thinking 



iVv M 




THK LAND OF TIIIC WINDMILLS. 



and laughing the people begin to act, refusing to give to the beggars, who 
are so angry with the poet that he has to flee a second time ; but he re- 
turns once more to London, where he dies a peaceful death in the year 
1400, having done a great deal to advance human freedom. 

When Doctor Wicklif selected the Midland dialect for his translation 
of the Bible, and when Geoffrey Chaucer used it in writing his Canterbury 



64 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

stories, they little knew that they were laying the foundations, as it were, 
of the strongest and most vigorous language ever used by human beings 
for the expression of their thoughts ; but it has become the English lan- 
guage of the nineteenth century — the one aggressive language of the 
world — the language of Liberty. 

It was in 1385 that Doctor Wicklif died. The grass grows over his 
grave. Forty-one years pass, pilgrims come from afar to visit the spot 
where he is buried ; they break off pieces of his tombstone, and carry them 
away as relics. The monks and friars will have no more of that. They 
will not have a man who has been dead nearly half a century keep on 
preaching if they can prevent it, for the doctor has a great following ; half 
of England, and nearly all of Bohemia, have accepted his teachings. The 
Great Council of Constance, which we shall read about in the next chap- 
ter, has ordered that the doctor's bones shall be dug up and burned ; and 
the monks, as we have seen, execute the order. They cast the ashes into 
the river, and the river bears them to the sea. They have got rid of 
Doctor Wicklif. Have they ? Not quite. 



THE FIRE THAT WAS KINDLED IN BOHEMIA. 



65 



CHAPTER III. 

THE FIRE THAT WAS KINDLED IN BOHEMIA. 

TPIE young man who had studied at Heidelberg, Cologne, and Paris, 
Professor Faulfash, of Bohemia, who came to England with the 
Princess Anne when she came to marry Eichard IL, and who heard 
Doctor Wicklif, and who carried some of the doctor's books to Bohemia, 




RECEIVING ABSOLUTION. 



is a lecturer in the University at Prague. He has discovered that the 
monks and friars of Bohemia are as lazy and shameless as those of Eng- 
land. He preaches against them. He wants a reformation in the Church. 
He preaches that men and women, priests and bishops — all must lead pure 



56 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



lives. He believes that men and women should confess their sins to God, 
and not to a priest ; that forgiveness for sin means something more than 
words spoken by the priests ; that absolution is something more than kneel- 
ing before a confessor's box, and having a few drops of holy-water sprin- 
Jiled on the head, from a sponge tied upon the end of a rod, in the hands 




EDINS OF THK PAPAL PALACE AT AVIGNON. 



■of the priest. He does not believe that sins can be forgiven, nor that 
blessings can be conferred by any such mummery. 

The priests denounce his preaching as blasphemous. " Professor Faul- 
fash is a heretic," they say. 

It is the one word — more terrible than all others — bnt the professor is 
not disturbed by it. Instead of becoming silent, he grows more bold. 

One of the priests who cry out against him is the queen's confessor, 
a man — John Huss — who undertakes to prove that such doctrines are he- 
retical. He does not succeed very well, for as he studies the question he 
discovers that the monks and friars are leading shameful lives. More 
than that, he begins to read Doctor Wicklif's books, and the more he reads, 
the more he sees that Professor Fanlfash and Doctor Wicklif are in the 
right, and himself, the monks and friars, the bishops and the Pope, in the 
wrong. He sees that the people ought to be permitted to read the Bible. 
He preaches as he thinks. He is eloquent, learned, sincere, and earnest, 
and people flock in crowds to hear him. The monks and friars hasten 



THE FIRE THAT WAS KINDLED IN BOHEMIA. 



57 



to Archbishop Sbinco with a woful story — that the queen's confessor is- 
a heretic. 

The archbishop is an ignorant man. Archbishops and bishops are not 
ahvays appointed because they are learned or eloquent, but for other rea- 
sons. The people call the archbishop a dunce, and say he is an ABC 
archbishop, indicating that he knows little more than the alphabet. The 
archbishop determines that the young priest, although he is confessor to 
the empress, shall be disciplined; but the king protects him, and appoints- 
hhn elector of the University of Prague. 

The archbishop, in great wrath at being thus interfered with, sends 
word to the Pope at Rome, for these are the days when the Church has 
two heads — one at Ivome, one at Avignon. The Pope sends back word 
that the rebellious priest must not be permitted to go on. Especially i& 
he commanded not to preach in a 
language which the people can un- 
derstand ; he may preach in Latin, 
but not in Bohemian. 

It is not so easy to stop John 
Huss, however, for the king is his 
friend, and cares not for priest 
or Pope. The archbishop contents 
himself with gathering up all the 
books of Doctor Wicklif that he 
can lay his hands upon which have 
been translated into the Bohemian 
language — all that Professor Faul- 
fash and John Hnss have written — 
and burning them. If the books 
are burned, that will stop the spread 
of heresy, the archbishop imagines. 
The king compels the archbishop 
to pay for the books. This in turn 
makes the Pope angry, and he is- 
sues orders to the archbishop to 
stop all preaching in Prague — to 
inform the people that they can no longer Iiave absolution granted them 
by the priests. The Pope will let the people know that he is supreme. 
The king, however, is not disturbed by the order, but directs the priests 
to go on with their preaching. The action of the king emboldens Pro- 
fessor Faulfash and John Huss, who send letters to the mayors of cities all 




THE POPE ON HIS THRONE. 



58 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




CASTLE UF ST. ANGELO. 



through Bohemia to i-esist the demands of a corrnjit and \vicked priest- 
liood. This makes the Pope exceedingly angry, and he orders the two 
men to appear at Rome and give an account of their doings; but they do 
not obey, for they know that there is a strong piison in Rome for such 
heretics as they — the Castle of St. Angelo. 

Sigismund is Emperor of Germany. He wants a council of the car- 
dinals and other prelates of the Church called to see if the Church cannot 
be united under one Pope. Tlie two heads are tearing each other fear- 
fully. When the cardiTials meet in council, they double up their fists, 
take one another by the throat, and have just such rows as the common 
people indulge in upon the streets and in the beer-shops. 

The popes have stirred up wars, and armies are marching, and battles 
are fought, for no one knows what. The Emperor of Germany desires 



THE FIRE THAT WAS KINDLED IN BOHEMIA. 



59 



a settlement of the troubles, and tlirongh his influence a great council 
assembles in the old city of Constance, in Switzerland, where all questions 
in dispute are to be discussed. 

Never before was there such a gathering. The emperor comes in 
great state. The Pope of Home is there, but not in state, for he is fear- 
ful that the council may depose him. There are seven patriarchs, twenty 
archbishops, twenty cardinals in their red cloaks, twenty-six princes, nine- 
ty-one bishops, one hundred and forty counts, hundreds of doctors of di- 
vinity, and many priests — four thousand or more in all. Multitudes of 
people c(»r ,e, filling the old town to overflowing, and making the dull 
streets alive as never before. Peddlers, hucksters; tricksters, mountebanks, 
charlatans, tramps, monks, friars, beggars — all flock to Constance. 

The princes and counts have their wire-pullers to influence the cardi- 
nals and bishops. All are hoping to make something out of the council — 
to gain powei', or money, or position. The council sits month after month, 
to the great profit of all the shopkeepers and grocers in the town. 

During these months while the council is in session, one man who 
came to attend it, instead of taking part in its deliberations, is in prison — 
John Hnss. He came of his own free-will — because the emperor wished 



rfllffilln, 

,'it/ii''i''; 




THE IIULY MKN SETTLING A DISPTTTE. 



60 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




THE OLD TOWN. 



him to attend. He might have stayed away, but the emperor sent him a. 
paper promising him protection — that he should be at liberty to come and 
go without molestation — that no harm should come to him while in Con- 
stance, and yet he is in prison. All through the months while the cardi- 
nals and prelates have been thei-e — 
marching in procession to and from 
the council — Jiving riotously, and 
some of them scandalously, the man 
who has been preaching that they 
should lead pure lives, and that the 
people have the right to confess their 
sins to God, has been languishing in 
prison. How happened it, when he 
had the emperor's promise written out on parchment ? Because the Pope 
claims to be superior to the emperor. '•''He has the right of dejposin^ 




JOHN HUSS IN PRISON. 



THE FIKE THAT WAS KINDLED IN BOHEMIA. 61 

^m.perorsr If he has the right of deposing emperors, then he has the 
right to disregard the promise which the emperor has made to John Huss. 
No faith is to he kept with heretics. So, finding John Huss in their 
power, the Pope and cardinals have thrust him into a dungeon, and now 
lie is to pay the penalty for being a heretic. 

It is July 6th, 1415. All Constance is astir. The people from the 
country flock into the town, for the heretic is to be roasted to death, and 
they must be early on the ground to see the procession which will escort 
the fellow from the prison to the cathedral. It comes, the cross-bearer at 
the head, can-ying a gilded crucifix. Then comes the Bishop of Riga in his 
gorgeous robes; then a company of soldiers armed with swords and lances, 
guarding the heretic, so that he shall not escape. The streets are thronged 
with people. The women look down from the quaint old windows to 
catch a glimpse of the wicked man, as they suppose him to be. They see 
a man forty years of age. The procession winds through the streets, and 
enters a great hall. The emperor is there, wearing his golden crown, and 
seated in a royal chair. At his right hand stands the Duke of Bavaria, 
holding a cross ; at his left hand is the governoi- of the Castle of Nurem- 
berg, with a drawn sword. Around are cardinals and archbishops, bishops, 
])i-iests, monks, and friars, and a great multitude of people. 

It is not to the emperor that all eyes are turned to-day, but to John 
IIuss, who ascends the platform, and mounts a table, where all can see 
him. lie does not return the gaze, but kneels, and clasps his hands, and 
looks up to Heaven. The soldiers file away ; the bishops, cardinals, and 
jM-elates take their seats in tlie council. Bishop Landinus ascends the 
pulpit to preacli a sermon from the text, "Shall we continue in sin?" 
Heresy, he says, is a great sin — one of the greatest a man can commit. It 
destroys the Church. It is right for the secular magistrate to destroy those 
with whom it originates. Turning to the emperor, the bishop thus ad- 
dresses him : 

" It will be a just act, and it is the duty of your Imperial Majesty, 
most invincible Emperor, to execute this stiff-necked heretic, since he is 
in our hands, and thus shall your Majesty attain an immortal name, with 
old and young, so long as the world shall stand, for performing a deed so 
glorious and so pleasing to God." 

The bishop comes down from tiie pulpit, and orator Ilenricus takes 
his place. 

" You are to w^eigh this matter well," he says to the council. " You 
are not to rest till you have burned such a sturdy heretic — one so stiff- 
necked in his damnable error." 



62 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



Then a bishop reads the charge against liiiss. 

"You have disobeyed the Archbishop of Prague. You teach that 
there is a holy catholic church other than that of which the Pope is the 
liead — a community of all the faithful ordained of God to eternal life — 
which is heretical." 




THli COUNCIL. 



" I do not doubt," Huss replies, " tliat there is a holy Christian church 
which is a community of the elect, both in this and in the other world." 

" Hold your tongue ! After we get through, you may answer," says 
Cardinal Von Cammerach. 

" I shall not be able to remember all the charges." 

" Silence !" The Archbishop of Florence shouts it. 

John Huss drops upon his knees, and lifts his hands toward Heaven. 
If they will not hear him, there is One above who will. 



THE FIRE THAT WAS KINDLED IN BOHEMIA. 63 

" O God, I coniinend my cause to thee." 

The reading goes on. 

" He has tanglit that after the words of consecration have been pro- 
nounced over the bread it is still natural bread, which is heretical." 

" I have not so preached." 

" Silence, heretic !" 

" He has taught that a priest polluted with deadly sins cannot ad- 
minister the sacrament of the altar, which is heretical." 

" I still say that every act of a priest laden with deadly sins is an 
abomination in the sight of God." 

Ah ! that is a home-thrust. Bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and priests^ 
who are living with women to whom they have not been married, never 
will forgive the heretic for saying that. 

The last chai-go is read. 

" He has contemned the Pope's excommunication." 

" I have not. I appealed to him — sent messengers to plead my cause 
before him, who were thrown into prison, I came to this council of my 
own free-will, with a safe-conduct from the emperor." 

John Huss turns toward Sigismund, and gazes calmly and steadily 
upon him. 

" I came in the full conlidence that no violence should be done me^ 
and that I might prove my innocence." 

The emperor grows red in the face, for he knows that John Huss 
came of his free-will. He knows that the safe-conduct which he gave has 
been taken aw^ay from him. He knows that ten thousand swords would 
leap from their scabbards, and a thousand spears would gleam in the sun- 
light, in Bohemia, to protect the man who is gazing so calmly in his face. 
With shame and confusion he sits there with downcast eyes. Everybody 
can see the reddening of his cheeks. Huss has had no trial ; but an old 
bishop stands up and reads his sentence. He is to be burned to death. 
Once more the prisoner kneels and praj'S : 

" Lord God, pardon my enemies. Thou knowest that I have been 
falsely accused, and unfairly sentenced. I pray thee, in thine unspeaka- 
ble mercy, not to lay it to their charge." 

The bishops smile scornfully. The heretic is praying God to forgive 
them ! As if they had done, or could do, anything wrong ! As if his 
prayers were of any account ! They degrade him from the priesthood. 
A bishop's robe is thrown over his shoulders. This in derision. 

" Confess your errors, and retract them, before it is too late," says one 
of the archbishops. 



64 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




Tllli PKOCKSSION. 



He makes no reply to thein, but turns to the people : 
" The bishops want me to retract ; but if I were to do so, I should be 
■a liar before God." 

" Silence, you stiff-necked and wicked heretic !" 

They place a chalice in his hands, and then take it away. 



THE FIRE THAT WAS KINDLED IN BOHEMIA. 65 

" O thou cursed Judas ! we take from thee this chalice, in which the 
blood of Christ is offered for the remission of sins," thej say. 

There is no blanching of his cheeks. 

" Confiding in my God and Saviour, I indulge the hope that he will 
not take from me the cup of salvation, and I trust that I shall drink of it 
this day in his kingdom," Huss replies. 

Greater than emperor, pope, or archbishop is John Huss, standing there 
beneath the vaulted roof of the old hall. None so calm, so quiet, so peace- 
ful of heart, as he — soon to be one of Liberty's great sons. None so shame- 
faced, so insignificant, as Sigismund, Emperor of Germany. One word 
from his lips would set the prisoner free ; but his craven heart has yielded 
to the demand of those who are thirsting for the blood of Huss. They 
have made him believe that he is not obliged to keep faith with a heretic ; 
yet he knows that he is committing an act which, ever as he recalls it, will 
redden his cheeks with shame. 

" Let him be accursed of God and man eternally." 

Li all the assembly of prelates there is not a kindly face, no look 
of pity. 

" I am willing thus to suffer for the truth in the name of Christ." 

They place a paper cap upon his head — a mock crown — with figures 
of devils upon it, and this inscription : 



THIS IS A HERETIC," 



" Give him over to the beadle." The emperor speaks the words, 
which one day will come back to trouble him. Sooner or later retribu- 
tion follows crime. It may not be to-day nor to-morrow, but it will come ; 
and this emperor, the greatest potentate in Europe, will see his empire 
drenched in blood, towns and cities in flames, and the land a desolation, 
for uttering those woi-ds. 

Out from the hall moves the procession once more. Out through the 
door stream the people. A fire is burning in the street, and the priests are 
heaping upon it the books written by Huss and by Doctor Wicklif. 

Huss smiles when he sees the parchment volumes curling in the flames. 
They can burn the books, but truth and liberty will still live. He walks 
with firm and steady steps. None of all the thousands around are so 
happy as he. The bishops are astonished. 

5 



66 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




BURNING OF JOHN HUSS 



He goes as if on his way to a banquet," says Bishop Silvias. 
Ihrough the streets, wliere the people throng the sidewalks and look 
do.^ from the windows of the lofty buildings, moves the procession-out 
to the place where he is to be burned. What is it that Huss is saying « 
I wdl extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and haft not 



THE FIRE THAT WAS KINDLED IN BOHEMIA. 67 

made my foes to rejoice over me." It is the thirtieth Psahn. They can 
burn his body, but what of that ? His body is not him. 

" Do not believe," he says to the people, " that I have taiiglit anything 
but the truth." 

No trembling of the lips — no whitening of his cheeks. He is going 
to testify to the truth. Why should he fear? Truth and liberty are 
eternal, and will live when emperor and pope have passed awa}'. Truth 
makes men free, and it will be glorious to die for freedom. The fagots 
are piled around him — bundles of dry sticks. The executioner stands 
with his torch. 

" Renounce your error," shouts the Duke of Bavaria. 

" I have taught no error. The truths I have taught I will seal with 
my blood." 

" Burn him." 

The executioner holds his torch to the fagots. What is it that the 
people hear coming from that sheet of flame ? 

" Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, good will toward men." 

It is the song which the angels sung above the pastures of Bethlehem. 
And this : 

"We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we 
give thanks to thee for thy great glory." It is the Gloria in Exeehis. 

The smoke blinds him, the flames are circling above his head. Yet 
the voice goes on : 

" Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on me." 

The flames wrap him round, his head falls upon his breast. The fire 
does its work, and a heap of ashes is all that remains. The executioner 
gathers them up, and casts them into the river. The winds and waves 
bear them away. The particles sink to the bottom, or are wafted on to 
the great falls at Schaffhausen, where the water foams over the granite 
ledges, and from thence are borne down the Rhine to the sea, as Wicklif's 
dust was borne on the current of the Avon and Severn to the ocean. 

The priests and bishops and Pope have got rid of John Huss. Have 
they ? By no means. It is only the beginning of their troubles with him, 
for the people of Bohemia resent his death. It is the beginning of a ter- 
rible war, which lasts many years, and drenches the land with blood. 

The cardinals and archbishops do not forget that the man whom they 
have burned to death was made a heretic through reading Doctor Wick- 
lif's books. The doctor has been dead a long while, so they cannot burn 
him, but it will be some satisfaction to let the world know what they 
would do to the doctor if he were only in the flesh, and they issue an 



68 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



order to dig np tlie bones and burn them. We have seen how it "was 
done. 

Thoi]o;h the monks have burned John Ilnss and the bones of Doctor 
Wicklif, they have not put a stop to their preacliing. Do words spoken 
in behalf of truth, justice, and liberty ever die ? We shall see by-and-by, 




_ ~*-'?-^§g^-:J^'\,,VsS:sv.., 



THE FALLS OF SCHAFFHAUSKN. 



after a hundred years have rolled away, how a poor boy — so poor that 
he will wander through the streets and sing for his breakfast, which the 
kind-hearted people will give him — how he will hear Doctor Wicklif and 
John IIuss speaking to him across the centuries. We shall see v;hat a 
mighty work he will do for trutli and liberty. 



WHAT LAURENCE COSTER AND JOHN GUTTENBERG DID- 



69 



CHAPTER IV. 

WHAT LAURENCE COSTER AND JOHN GUTTENBERG DID EOR LIBERTY. 

LAURENCE COSTER is a Dutchman, and lives in the old town of 
Haerlem, in the land of the windmills, where the people have bmlt 
great dikes enclosing portions of the Zuyder-Zee, set the wmd.nd s to 
pumping out the water, and laid out the lands mto farms The ^vhole 
country iB intersected with canals, where the boats come and go, bnngmg 
cabbages, cheeses, hay, and wood to market. The Dutchmen are very 
indusU-ious. Tlie boys and girls, as well as the men and women, woik in 




the fields and gardens, or tug at the canal-boats. They harness their dogs 
into teams, and make them tug at the ropes. 

Haerlem is a sleepy old town. The boats lie at the quays, and now 
and then a cart rumbles along the streets. The housewives rub and scrub 
their pots and pans in the canals before the doors. They keep then- houses 
neat and clean, and wash the pavements every morning 

Laurence Coster lives in Haerlem with his fa,nily. He resolves to have 
a dav with them in the country. He goes out on one of the canal-boats 
with the children, and sits beneath the trees, to hear the bu-ds smg and to 



70 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



breathe the fresh air; and while the children are playing he carves their 
names in the bark of the trees with his knife ! An idea conies to him, 
and this is wliat lie says to himself: 

" I might carve the letters of the alphabet, each letter on a separate 
block, ink them over, and then I could stamp any word in the lan- 
guage." 

Tliis is in 1423. He goes home, prepares his blocks, carves the letters, 
ties them up with strings, and prints a pamphlet. Up to this time all the 




CANAL IN HOLLAND. 



books in the world have been written witli a pen on parchment. How 
slow ! Men have spent a lifetime in writing one book, beginning when 
they were young, working till tliey were old, and dying with their work 
unfinished. The Egyptians and Chinese, hundreds of years ago, carved 
letters on blocks and printed from the blocks ; but this Dutchman of Haer- 
lem is the first one to tie letters into words, and print from them. Lau- 
rence Coster succeeds so well that he employs John Guttenberg, a young 
man from Mentz, to help him. Laurence keeps his secret well. The peo- 
ple see pamphlets for sale ; little do they imagine, howevei', that they were 
not written with a pen. 



WHAT LAURENCE COSTER AND JOHN GU TTENBERG DID. 



'1 



Coster dies, but liis secret does not die with him. The apprentice, 
John Guttenbei'g, is not a boy to forget what lie has been doing. lie 
goes up the Khine. We may think of him as being on a boat that 




STREKT IN HOLLAND. 



slowly makes its way up the stream, past the old towns and castles. 
Rheinstein, with its battlements and towers and strongholds, secure from 
all attacks, looms far above the stream. Pie gazes npon the vineyards, 
sloping from tlie river up the steep hill -sides. In the autumn the 
peasants gather the purpling grapes, and sing their songs as they bear 
the baskets to the wine -press. lie com.es to Bingen, where the little 
old church with bells in its steeple looks down upon the peaceful river; 
but, not stoppiug there, he passes on to Strasburg, whose cathedral sjure 
rises almost to the clouds, as it were. In that old city John Gutten- 
berg begins to set up type on his own account. lie thinks night and 
day, turning over a perplexing question. AVood wears out, and the 
types will not bear the pressure of the printing-press. They must be 
of metal. How shall he make them ? To cut each type sepai-ately by 
hand is too expensive and too slow a process. He must make a mould 
and cast them, and, of course, must have a mould for each letter. That 



72 



THE STORY OF LIBERIT. 



is expensive ; but once getting the 
moulds, he can cast thousands of 
types. Of what material shall they be 
cast? Lead is too soft. He must ex- 
periment with diiferent metals. Very 
soon his money is gone. He would 
like to keep his secret and his plans 
to himself, but that he cannot do. 
He must have monej^ There is a 
rich man in Strasburg — John Faust, 




RHEINSTEIN. 



I"'^] a goldsmith, who knows about metals. 
He willgo to him. The goldsmith sees 

'5^' the value of the invention, and supplies 
John with money, and the printer goes 
on engi'aving the letters for his moulds, 
experimenting with metals, meeting dif- 
liculties at every step, taking so much 
of John Faust's money that the gold- 



WHAT LAURENCE COSTER AND JOHN GUTTENBERG DID. 73 

smith begins to think that lie never will see it again. But perseverance 
surmounts all difficulties. One day Guttenberg shows the goldsmith his 




first proof. There it is — each letter 
as perfect as if done by a pen. It is 
in 1450 that they begin to print their 
first book, in an out-of-the-way cham- 
ber, where no one will be likely to 
find out what they are about. 

Sixty-six years have passed since 
Doctor Wicklif died, and twenty-five 
since the monks dug up his bones. 
There is not much more liberty now 
than there was when he was, alive, for 
kings do pretty much as they please, 
and the people are taxed as heavily 
as ever. 

Charles VII. is Kina: of France. 



He is a suspicious man. He is 



afraid that somebody will put poison in his food, and so makes his ser- 



74 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



vants taste of it before touching it himself, and he eats so Httie that he 
will die of starvation by-and-by. One day a traveller, who has a valuable 
book which he would like to sell to the king, conies to the royal palace. 
It is the Bible on vellum, and contains six hundred and seven leaves. It 
is such a beautiful book that the king buys it, and pays seven hundred and 
fifty crowns for it. The man takes his money and goes away ; the king 



Ific ipw Fffiij ies of LtUiT eiiz I d us . Knf t QV,De line at ed 
/rovi his Momun entail Stoiie, Statue Crectcd at 
Harlem . 




i^ 







LAUKENCE COSTER. 



puts tho book in the royal library, and is greatly delighted to know that 
he has such a magniiicent copy. 

A traveller knocks at the archbishop's palace with a book which he 
would like to show his lordship — a beautiful copy of the Bible. The arch-' 
bishop is delighted. He never saw a more perfect book. The letters are 
even. What a steady hand the writer must have had ! How clear and 
distinct — not a blot, not an error, anywhere ! It must have taken the 
writer a lifetime to write it. He pays the price. Now he will have some- 



WHAT LAURENCE COSTER AND JOHN GUTTENBERG DID. 



<0 




GL'TTENBERGS FIRST I'liUOF. 



thing to show his friends which will astonish them. The archbishop calls 
upon the king. 

" I have something to show jou — the most magnificent book in the 
world," says the king. 

" Indeed !" The archbishop is thinking of his own book. 

" Yes ; a copy of the Bible. It is a marvel. The letters are so even 
that you cannot discover a shade of difference." 

" I have a splendid copy, and if yours is any more beautiful than 
mine, I should like to see it." 

" Here is mine. Just look at it ;" and the king shows his copy. 

The archbishop turns the leaves. " This is remarkable. I don't see 

|L)oGDl)itttm &;ajt(intDiuit^et)uiere cura 
WiMmx. &|(;awer tkxe pth in) 

^ant fuanonColuw compt^OKtjopuftuliaf 
^a? qttocpg lauJejsr.tuffitl^tceffetuag 



SPECIMKN OF TYPE. 



76 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



but that it is exactly like mine." The pages are the same, the letters 
the same. Can one man have written both ? Impossible. Yet they are 
alike. There is not a particle of difference between them. " How long 
have you had this ?"' the archbishop asks. 

" I bought it the other day of a man who came to the palace." 



The ifue f^xgks of lolm GuttemieTg Delirteatiijrom. 
-the Original iculirtbig at Mentz/ ijt Gemiaiiie^. 




JOHN GUTTENBERG. 



" Singular ! I bought mine of a man who came to my palace." 

Neither the king nor the archbishop knows what to think of it. They 

place the two Bibles side by side, and find them precisely alike. There 

are the same number of pages ; each page begins with the same word ; 

there is not a shadow of variation. Wonderful ! But the archbishop. 



WHAT LAURENCE COSTER AND JOHN GUTTENBERG DID. 



77 




WILLIAM CAXTON. 



in a few days, is still more per- 
plexed. He discovers that some 
of the rich citizens of Paris have 
copies of Bibles exactly like the 
king's and his own. More : he 
discovers that copies are for sale 
here and there. 

'' Where did yon get them?" 
" We bought them of a man 
who came along." 
" Who was he ?" 
" We don't know." 
" This is the work of the 
devil." 

The archbishop can arrive at 
no other conclusion. The Bible 
is a dangerons book. None but 
the priests should be permitted to 
/ead it. But here is the Evil One 
selling it everywhere ; or, if not himself in person, some man has sold him- 
self to Satan for that purpose. lie soon discovers that it is Doctor John 
Faust, of Strasburg. 

" You have sold yourself to the Evil One, and must be burned to 
death." 

Till this moment the great invention has been a secret ; but Doctor 
Faust must divulge it, or be burned. He shows the archbishop how the 
Bibles are printed ; and John Guttenberg has printed so many of them 
that the price has been reduced one-half. The archbishop, the king, and 

everybody else is astonished. So Faust 
saves his life ; but the idea of his sell- 
ing himself to the devil has gone into 
story and song. It was the translation of 
the Bible into English by Doctor Wick- 
lif that gave the first uplift to liberty; 
and, singularly enough, the Bi])le was the 
first book printed by Guttenberg. 

Laurence Coster, when he cut the let- 
ters of the alphabet in wooden blocks 
and tied them into words, had no con- 
iLLUMiNATKD LKTTEK. ccptiou as to wliat would come of it ; 




78 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




PRESENTING A BIBLE TO THE KING. 

(Prom an Old Piiut.) 



but the idea was like the burstiiig-forth of a fountain in a desert. The 
stream that issued from it lias refreshed all the earth. With the settino-. 

up of the printing-press 
began the diffusion of 
knowledge. Knowledge 
leads to liberty. Men 
begin to comprehend 
that they have natural 
rights, which other men 
— nobles, barons, kings, 
emperors, bishops, ai-ch- 
bishops, and popes — are 
bound to respect. 

One day William Cax- 
ton, a merchant of Lon- 
don, comes over to Hol- 
land to buy cloth. He 
sees some of the new 
books, and goes into a 
printing-office to see how 
they are made. He is greatly interested, buys some of the types, and sets 
up a printing-press in London, in a chapel in Westminster Abbey. Quite 
likely the printer's workmen do not have a very high regard for the 
monks and friars that swarm around Westminster, for" if there is a blot 
on the page, they call it a " monk ;" and if there is a blank, they call it 
a "friar." And the boy who brings the ink up from the cellar, and -ets 
his face and hands black from handling it, they call the " devil"— words 
which are in use to-day in printing-offices. 

The first book printed in England was entitled " The Game of Chess " 
in 1474. The type used was very coarse. Printers then took great de- 
light in having large illuminated capital letters at the beginning of a 
book or chapter. They were printed in blue, green, and gold, and^made 
the page very beautiful. Caxton printed a Bible, which he presented to 
the king. 

The setting-up of the printing-press soon put an end to all the writ- 
ing in the cloisters of the monasteries. The monks lay aside their pens. 
The printing-press turns out thousands of copies of a book almost while 
they are sharpening their pens and getting their parchment ready. Peo- 
ple begin to read, and from reading comes thinking, and from thinking 
comes somethincr else. ° 



WHAT LAURENCE COSTER AND JOHN GUTTENBERG DID. 



79 



Four hundred and fifty years have passed since Laurence Coster carved 
the names of his children in the bark of the trees in tlie gardens of Haer- 
lem— since John Guttenberg printed his first book in that out-of-the-way 
chamber ; but through all the years that discovery of using types to ex- 
press ideas has been, like the flowing of a river, widening and deepening. 
Through the energizing influence of the printing-press, emperors, kings, 
and despots have seen their power gradually waning, and the people be- 
coming their masters. 




MONUMENT TO GUTTENBERG. 



80 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTEE Y. 

THE MEN WHO ASK QUESTIONS. 

f~\^ an evening in October, six gentlemen and a servant ride ont from 
V^ the old city of Saragossa, in Spain, taking a road which leads west- 
ward. They are starting at this honr of the day for Yalladolid ; they 
do not expect, however, to reach it at once, for it is two hundred miles 
distant. They do not care to have evei-ybody know that they are making 
the journey, for there are bands of armed men on the lookout for them ; 
especially ai-e they on the watch for the servant of the party— Ferdinand 

— a young man seventeen years old. 
' . Although a servant, he has a well- 

filled purse in his pocket, for he is 
going all the way to Valladolid— 
to get married — and has taken a 
liberal amount of money. Not many 
servants can show so large a sum. 
The travellers ride till daybreak, and 
then stop at an out-of-the-way town 
to rest through the day, at night 
travelling once more. They take 
by-roads and pass tlu-ough obscure 
towns, and halt again when morning 
comes. Ferdinand never has seen 
the young lady whom he is about to 
marry; but some of the gentlemen 
whom he serves say that she is very fair; that her features are regular; 
her hair a light chestnut; that she has a mild blue eye, and is modest 
and charming in all her ways. " She is the handsomest lady I ever be- 
held, and the most gracious in her manners," says one. Perhaps he thinks 
it will please Ferdinand thus to set forth the charms of the lady. At any 
rate, the praise or something else so abstracts his thoughts that, when he 
pays the landlord the reckoning at one of the taverns, he leaves his purse 




VALLADOLID CATHEDRAL. 



THE MEN WHO ASK QUESTIONS. 



81 



behind, and discovers, when he reaches Yalladolid, tliat lie has not a cent 
m liis pocket! Here is a dilemma for a young man on the eve of his 
marriage ! 

Ferdinand has served his fellow-travellers faithfully. He has cared 
for their horses, waited upon them at table, filling their glasses with wine, 
and he has done it in a courtly way. The landlords, quite likely, have 
noticed that he is the prince of servants ; but not one of them, probably, 




has mistrusted that he is indeed a prince — son of the King of Aragon ; 
nor do they mistrust that he is travelling in disguise to be married to 
Isabella, Princess of Castile ; that he has taken this way to escape those 
who are opposed to the match, and who would lay hands upon him if 
possible. 

Isabella never has seen Ferdinand, who is a year younger than herself; 
but of all the suitors for her hand she has selected him, and is greatly 

6 



82 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



pleased to find him all that her fancy has pictured. She is very religions, 
says her prayers, and goes regularly to confession. 

On the 19tli of October, 1469, the marriage is consummated, for. 




CORONATION OF ISABELLA. 



though Ferdinand has left his purse behind, his credit is good. There is 
a great gathering of grandees, nobles, and ladies — two thousand or more — 
wearing rich dresses ; and by the marriage the kingdoms of Aragon and 
Castile are united, making the Spain of these later years. 



THE ]\IEN WHO ASK QUESTIONS. 



83 




DU.MIMlAN ,M().NK. 



After her marriage she has another confessor, Thomas de Torquemacla, 
a Dominican monk, who wears a black cowl. 

" I want you to make a promise," he says to Isabella. 

" What is it ?" 

" That when you come to the throne, you will exter- 
minate heresy." 

Isabella promises to do as he desires. 

The years go by, and after the death of her brother 
Henry, in 1476, Isabella is queen. There are heretics in 
Spain, men who dare to think for themselves. That is 
a terrible crime in the eyes of Thomas de Torquemada, 
and it must be stopped. The Pope has an institution 
already organized by which heretics can be rooted out 
— the Holy Office, as it is called. The men connect- 
ed with it are Inquisitors, or men w^lio ask questions. 
Thomas de Torquemada is chief questioner. The men 
who ask questions do it in private. If they have a suspicion that a 
man is an unbeliever, they may arrest him, and bring him to their secret 
chamber and question him. These are their rules : Any one may wit- 
ness against an accused person. The Holy Office may take the evidence 
of one heretic against another; but a heretic's evidence in yavor of a per- 
son is good for nothing. If two witnesses testify one in favor and the 
other against a person, the testimony of the first is to be rejected, while 
the last shall be accepted. A wife may testify against a husband, and it 
shall be received ; but if she testifies in \\\s, favor ^ it shall be rejected; and 
so with the husband against the wife, or children against parents, or par- 
ents against children. If a witness does not testify all that the questioner 
desires, they may put liivfi to the torture. 

The questioning takes place in an out-of-the-way chamber, in a build- 
ing that has thick stone-walls — so thick that no moan or wail will reach 
the ears of the passer-by. There is the thumb-screw — a 
little vise in which the accused must put his thumb, and 
then the screw is turned a little. It begins to bite. An- 
other turn ; it bites harder. More turning, a little at a 
time, till the end of the thumb is as thin almost as a wafer 
— mashed to a jell}', and the blood oozes from every pore. 

There is a ring-bolt in the floor, a pulley overhead. The questioners 
tie the feet of the prisoners to the ring, their hands to the pulley; then tug 
at the rope till the arms of the accused are almost pulled from the shoul- 
ders, and their legs from the body. 




A THUMB-SCREW, 



84: 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




TORTURE CHAMBER. 



Another instninient is tlie rack. Tlie prisoner is tlirown upon a lad- 
der and his feet tied to iron bolts in the wall, and his arms to a windlass, 
and men with levers work it till the knees and arms are pulled from their 
sockets. Another instrument is the rolling bench — a table studded with 
projecting knobs of oak. The accused are stripped to tlie skin, thrown 
upon the table, tied hands and feet, and a heavy roller tilled with knobs 
rolled over them, grinding the flesh to jelly. 

There are punches for puncliing holes in the ears and tongues of the 
heretics, and skewers to run through them, and pincers for pulling their 
tongues out by the roots, knotted whips, iron collars set with sharp teeth, 
chains, balls, manacles. 

They fasten the heads of the accused in a frame, put a gag in their 
mouth, propping the jaws apart. Above them is a dish filled witli water, 
which drips into their throat. Drip, drip, drip, it falls hour after hour 
Swallow they must till they are filled to suffocation. 



THE MEN WHO ASK QUESTIONS. 8o 

Men and women, maidens in their youth and beauty, have tlie clothes 
torn froin their backs, and they must stand exposed before these ques- 
tioners. The Holy Office is amenable to no law. From the decision of 
Thomas de Torqueniada there is no appeal. No one is exempt from his 
jurisdiction. Rich as well as poor ai'e arrested. It is easy to accuse men, 
and those who never have dreamed of being heretics find themselves in 
the clutches of Torquemada. Men who are their enemies swear that they 
are heretics, to cause their arrest, torture, confiscation of property, and 
death by burning — so taking revenge. 

Isabella and Ferdinand urge the men who ask questions to do their 
work thoroughly — to let no heretic escape, especially if they have money, 
for by confiscating their property the king and queen and the Pope will 
replenish their purses. Thomas de Torquemada is not the man to let the 
grass grow under his feet, especially when his share of the plunder will 
be a goodly portion. 

The Hoh' Ofiice is not a new institution. Pope Innocent YIIL, who 
has appointed Thomas de Torquemada to superintend it in Spain, did not 
inaugurate it, for other popes have used it to exterminate heresy. Innocent 
has set it in operation in Spain to bring money into his pocket. All the 
world regards the Pope as being God's agent on earth, with power to pass 
them into heaven, consign them to purgatory, or send them to everlasting 
torments. All power is given him; he has the keys of heaven and hell. 
No one disputes his authority, none dare to protest against it. His* agents 
— the men whom he appoints — are to be obeyed. When men have abso- 
hite power, they do as they please. If they ai"e greedy for money, they 
will seize whatever they can lay their hands on. If they are hard-hearted, 
they will find pleasure in witnessing the sufferings of those on whom they 
exercise their power. It is an age in which pity and tenderness are un- 
known. To be tender-liearted is to be weak. It is an age of brute force. 
Might makes right. Men have no individual rights. There are no courts 
of law to protect them. 

Thomas de Torquetnada is cruel. It is a pleasure to him to see men 
put to the torture — to hear their bones crack, to see them writhe in pain, 
w'hile being roasted to death over slow fires. He sends men througli 
Spain to discover who there may be that he can accuse of heresy. If a 
man has a spite against his neighbor, and wishes to ruin liim, he has but 
to whisper to the Inquisitors that his neighbor is a heretic. Tlie Inquisitors 
are quick to hurry him to prison, put him to torture, sentence him to death; 
and then, when the fire has done its work, they seize his property, keeping 
a portion for themselves, and sending the rest to Pope Innocent. He is 



86 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




BUKMNG A HERETIC IN FKESENCE OF THE POPE. 



greedy for wealth. He puts it in operation in Rome. If a man in Rome 
commits murder, or any other crime, he can go clear of punishment by 
paying a good sum to the Pope. He puts money into his pockets by li- 
censing priests to keep taverns, play-houses, and other establishments dis- 
reputable for priests or anybody else to keeo. Being a priest, the Pope 



THE MEN WHO ASK QUESTIONS. 87 

cannot marry ; but he lias children, nevertheless, and appoints them to 
lucrative positions. He sells indulgences and pardons for any crime. 

One of the persons accused by Torqnemada is Senor Pecho, who is 
worth a great deal of money. Torqnemada seizes it all, and puts the 
owner to death. The widow and children are beggars in the street ; but 
Isabella, as a special favor, graciously gives them a trifle, but appropriates 
the remainder of the estate to her own use. Not only does she appropri- 
ate this, but many other estates, till the Pope, seeing that she is getting 
more than her share of the spoils, sends a legate to look after his portion. 
But Isabella knows how to manage the legate. She gives him a liberal 
share of the plunder, and he reports that the expenses of the Office use np 
pretty much all of the property of the accused. 

Thousands are cast into prison. More than two thousand men and 
women are burned — thrown into furnaces. Other thousands flee from 
the countr}'. 

" Do not take such harsh measures," is the advice of some of her 
friends. 

" It is better for the service of God that the country should be depop- 
ulated than that it should be polluted with heresy," Isabella replies. 

The queen is so devoted to her religion that she would rather see her 
country a desert than that men should question the authority of the Pope, 
or disregard the teachings of the bishops and priests. Pity has no place 
in her heart. She has all power in her realm. Men and women must 
believe as she believes and as the Church teaches, or she will exterminate 
them. Day by day the terrible work goes on. The Inquisitors march in 
solemn procession through the streets of the cities, conducting their vic- 
tims to the place of execution. Without doubt the queen, Torqnemada, 
and the Inquisitors sincerely believe that they are doing that which will 
be acceptable to God. And no doubt they are also pleased to divide up 
the estates of those whom they have put to death ; at any rate, they can 
make themselves more comfortable in life ; and it is gratifying to know 
that, while adding to their own possessions, they have been zealous for the 
faith and the welfare of the Church. By promoting the interests of the 
Church, they are laying up treasures in heaven. Will not the good done 
here be remembered there ? Will not God reward them for the service, 
by giving them good things through all eternity? The more zealous 
they are for him on earth the greater will be their pleasures in paradise. 
It is their duty and privilege to eradicate heresy. They have no right 
to be pitiful or tender-hearted when the interests of the Church and the 
glory of God are at stake. 



88 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



Among others burned is the good Bishop of Tarragona. Many wid- 
ows are condemned, especially widows of rich men. Is it that they are 
greater heretics than others ? Or is it that Isabella and Torquemada can 




BURNING THE BISHOP OF TAKRAGONA. 



secure their estates ? They are working zealously to bring all the world 
to one way of thinking — their way. Theirs is tlie right way, and if any 
one doubts it, he is to be put to death. Liberty of conscience, liberty of 
thought, speech, or action, are all unknown. The Pope has decreed that 



THE MEN WHO ASK QUESTIONS, 89 

no one shall dissent from his decree or authority, or, if doing so, death 
shall be his portion. 

If a witness shall swear falsely, or cause a heretic, or one who is not a 
heretic, to be put to death, he shall not be put to death in turn, tliough the 
Holy Office may, if it see lit, put him in prison. 

If a man be accused, he must pay the men who ask questions for their 
time and trouble of accusing him ! 

If a man be condemned and put to death, infamy shall forever be 
heaped upon his children, on the ground that children are partakers of the 
sins of their parents. But the Pope is mei'ciful, and the Holy Office may 
sell the children into slavery. 

If a man be condemned and his propert}" confiscated, though he may 
be innocent, the Holy Office is under no obligation to return it, on the 
ground that to be poor will make men humble ! 

If a man blaspheme, this is his punishment : he must stand outside of 
the church on Sundays when mass is said. But if he say anything against 
the Pope, the Church, the Virgin, or if he read tlie Bible, or do not con- 
fess to the priest, he shall be put to death ! If a priest swear profanely, 
he may be lined, but the public shall know nothing of it. 

If a man be a heretic, his wife must leave him. A man must leave 
his wife if she be an unbeliever. Children must forsake parents, and par- 
ents children. 

Persons condenuied by the men who ask questions are burned to death. 
The burning is called an auto-da-fe — the act of faith. It is a great occa- 
sion. Ferdinand and Isabella, all the grandees and ladies, the cardinals, 
archbishops, bishops, priests, and multitudes of people, assemble to witness 
the burning. There is a grand procession. The school children; the 
priests, in companies, wearing their robes, carrying crowns, banners, and 
candles, escort the condemned to death. The victims wear yellow gowns, 
upon which are embroidered black devils with hoofs, horns, and tails. 
Gags are thrust into the victims' mouths, so that they may not speak to 
the people. 

Following the condemned are the magistrates, nobles, bishops, cardi- 
nals, the king and queen, the men who ask questions carrying a blood-red 
flag. A great crowd surges along the streets. 

The procession reaches the place of burning, where a bishop or priest 
preaches a sermon praising the Pope, heaping upon the condemned the in- 
sulting epithets. Tliey are dogs, vipers, wild beasts, enemies of God and 
man, fit only to be given over to the flames — to burn eternally. The 
sheriff reads their sentence ; the bishop and priests chant a psalm. 



90 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



" Deal with them gently," says the judge to the executioner, who chains 
them to the stakes, heaps the wood around them, and sets it on fire ; and 




FRIENDS THEY HAD NONIC. 



SO the men and women, whose only crime has been dissent from believing 
as the Pope believes, are put to death. Ferdinand, Isal)ella, Torqnemada, 
and the Pope take possession of their estates, and the childi-en are reduced 
to beggary. In a short time the country is filled with beggars, who wan- 
der through the streets in rags, homeless and friendless. It is a crime to 
give charity to children of condemned heretics. They are outcasts, shut 
out from all human sympathy. 

While Ferdinand and Isabella are thus rooting out heresy, they are 
trying to drive the Moors from the countrj'. Armies are marshalled, 
battles fought, cities besieged. The Moors are compelled to leave their 
beautiful palaces, where tliey have enjoyed quiet and peace for centuries; 
but Ferdinand and Isabella are strongest, and they are driven from the 
homes where the fountains are ever flowing amidst the palm-trees in 
the spacious courts. Tlie king and queen accompany the armies and an- 
imate the soldiers by their presence. 

One day a middle-aged man, a sailor, comes into camp, bringing a 
letter for Fernando de Talavera, Isabella's old confessor — a letter writ- 
ten by Talavera's friend, the good prior Father Perez, of the Convent of 



THE MEN WHO ASK QUESTIONS. 



91 



Rabiada, near Palos, introducing the sailor, who has an idea that the 
earth is round, and that if he were to sail west he might reach the east. 
The sailor wants to lay the project before Ferdinand and Isabella. 













l' 




/^'<> 


— ^ 


^^^>js^ 










-i. 


L J- ' 


^-^^ 


" 




-^w^ 


— 




3 


-- 




i:^-^ 




A MOOR S PALACK. 



92 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




COLUT UF Tllli ALUAMLllA. 



Father Talavera receives the sail^ 
or courteously, and introduces him 
to Ferdinand and Isabella, who lis- 
ten with interest to his project ; but 
they have other things on hand, and 
cannot aid him in fitting out an ex- 
pedition to explore unknown seas. 
The sailor, however, is not a man to 
be discouraged by trifles. He will 
wait, years will go by, and his beard 
will turn to gray ; but let him not 
be forgotten, for we shall see him 
again. 

The war against the Moors goes 
on. When Ferdinand and Isabella 
are in need of money to pay the troops, the rich Jews supply them, for 
there are many Jews in the country. They are thrifty and industrious, 
carry on trade, attend to their own affairs, care for their poor, and ai-e 
peacefully disposed. In all Spain there are no better subjects than they. 
Through their aid, Ferdinand and Isabella keep their armies in the field, 
winning battle after battle, taking town after town, driving the Moors at 
last to their last stronghold, the old city of Gi-anada, in which is the Al- 
hambra, the gorgeous palace, one 



from which for centuries the Moor- 
ish flag has waved in triumph; but 
on the 2d of January, 1492, the ban- 
ner with the crescent moon upon its 
folds gives place to the flag bearing 
the cross, and Ferdinand and Isabel- 
la take possession of the Alhambra. 

In all the wide world there is 
no palace like this, with its massive 
walls, spacious halls, marble floors, 
elaborately chiselled columns and ar- 
abesque roofs ; its gardens, where the 
roses are always in bloom, where 
fountains are ever playing. For six 
hundred years the Moors have ruled 
in Granada, but to-day they surren- 
der all to Ferdinand and Isabella. 




ALONU THK COUUIDUUS OF THE I'ALAOE. 



THE MEN WHO ASK QUESTIONS. 93 

" You shall still be a free people ; you shall be treated with respect ; 
shall have yoiir own customs, and shall not be molested in your religion. 
No Moor shall be compelled to become a Christian." It is Ferdinand's 
promise. 

The Spanish troops march into the city, the Moors lay down their arms, 
the crescent flag comes down, and the cross takes its place. In the courts 
of the AUiambra a Te Deitm is chanted, and Father Fernando de Tala- 
vera, Isabella's old confessor, is appointed archbishop in a city in which 
till now there has not been a Christian. All are Moors or Jews. Ferdi- 
nand and Isabella are masters of all Spain. All Christian heretics have 
been rooted out. The fires have blazed, thousands have been burned, other 
thousands have fled, and from the confiscated estates the king and queen, 
Torquemada and the Pope, have reaped rich harvests. But thei-e are the 
Jews. Their ancestors crucified the Saviour. Tliey will not eat pork, 
and they will persist in eating meat on Fridays. They read the Old Testa- 
ment and the Talmud. They are sharp at a bargain, and are getting rich. 
But what rights has a Jew? Not any. They must become Christians, 
or they shall be turned over to be dealt with by Torquemada. 

On the 30th of March, 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella issue this procla- 
mation : 

" If after July 31st a Jew is found in the country, he shall be put to 
death. No one shall give shelter to a Jew. Any one doing so shall for- 
feit all his property. The Jews may sell their houses and farms, but no 
one shall be permitted to carry any gold or silver out of the country." 

That is the order which Ferdinand and Isabella issue on the last day 
of March. If the Jews cannot carry gold or silver, what can they carry? 
Who will buy their farms? Who pay a tithe of the value of the property ? 

Kabbi Abarbanal is an old man who has been of great service to the 
king and queen. When they wanted money to carry on the war against 
the Moors, he supplied them, paid the troops, and so enabled them to con- 
quer. He enters the Alhambra, and kneels before them on the marble 
pavement. 

" Have mercy, O king ! Use us not so cruelly. I will pay six hundred 
thousand crowns of gold for the ransom of my people." 

"Do not take it." Isabella speaks the words. Thomas de Torquemada 
is her confessor, and now he rushes into the audience -chamber, with a 
crucifix in his hand. 

"Judas sold the son of God once for thirty pieces of silver, and you 
are going to sell him again. Do it ! Here he is. Sell Jesus !" 

He throws the crucifix upon the table, and runs out of the hall. The 



94 



THE STOliY OF LIBERTY. 





GIBRALTAR. 



good old rabbi turns away, for Ferdiuand has a deaf ear to his entreaty. 
Perhaps an idea has dawned upon him. Will he not, by the confiscation 
of all the property of the Jews, get more than six hundred thousand 
crowns ? 

From the ports of Carthagena, Valencia, Cadiz, Gibraltar, ships are 
sailing away, carrying tlie fugitives to Africa, Italy, and the East. Some 
are shipwrecked, some murdered ; many die of disease, more by famine. 
Some are sold into slavery. Remorselessly the edict is carried out. Their 
property is seized, and Ferdinand grows rich upon the spoils. 

Through the waning summer months the stricken Jews take their de- 
parture: five hundred thousand are driven from the country ! With them 
go the thrift and industry of Spain. Isabella, Ferdinand, and the Pope, 
through the Holy Office, have possession of the property; but estates with- 
out tenants bring no income to the treasury. In driving them out, Ferdi- 
nand and Isabella kill the goose that laid the golden egg. 



THE MEN WHO ASK QUESTIONS. 26 

Besides the five hundied thousand Jews driven out, more than one 
hundred thousand heretics are burned to death, or are thrown into prison, 
or lose their property by confiscation. The i-ecords of the Holy Oflice 
show how zealously Torqueniada worked to excerniinate heretics. 

This is the record : 

Burned at the stake 10,220 

Died in prison 6,880 

Punished by confiscation of property, perpetual imprisonment, or loss 

of all civil rights 97,321 

Total.. 114,421 



Torquemada dies ; but Diego Deza steps into his place as chief 
questioner, and the terrible machine of the Holy Oflice goes on night 
and day grinding men and women, humanity, liberty, justice, right, and 
truth into the dust. 

" The Moors must be- 
come Cliristians, or be ban- 
ished," says the new chief 
questioner to Ferdinand. 

" The treaty stipulates 
that they shall have peace- 
able enjoyment of their re- 
ligion," Ferdinand replies. 

" Their religion is an 
abomination in the sight of 
God. It is right to break 
faith with infidels." 

Ferdinand sees an op- 
portunit}^ to fill his treasury. 
The Holv Ofiice uro;es him 
to show his zeal for the 
Church, and he makes his 
decision : 

" The Moors must be- 
come Christians, or leave the 
country." 

The expulsion begins, 
and year after year goes on. 
The conquered Moslems, 
since their surrender, have 




STREET SCENE IN SPAIN. 



96 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



been dutiful subjects. Many of them are wealtliy. They offer to buy 
their ransom, but they appeal to deaf ears and to stony liearts. Pity has 

fled, and humanity is dead. Into 
the treasury of the Church and the 
king flows the accumulated wealth 
of six hundred years. Some of 
the Moors have professedly be- 
come Christians; but they will eat 
no pork, and they will eat meat 
on Friday, as the Holy Ofiice dis- 
covers, and they are hnri-ied to 
the stake to pay the penalty with 
their lives. Fires blaze. Men, 
women, and children are burned 
to death. Weeping and wailing 
is heard on every hand ; dismay 
and despair are seen in the face 
of every Moor. On the side of 
Ferdinand, Isabella, and the Pope 
there is power; but for the Moors 
there is no comforter. So Ferdi- 
nand and Isabella rear the foun- 

MU(»KS. 

dations of their united thrones on 
the graves of hundreds of thousands of the victims of their broken faith ; 
while the Pope joins them in exterminating the last vestige of liberty, 
honor, justice, and right. 

The king, queen, and the Pope take possession of the estates ; and the 
country is filled with beggai-s, who wander homeless, friendless, through 
the land, holding out their hands to the passers-by, in the streets of the 
cities, for a morsel of bread. 




HOW A MAN TRIED TO KEACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 



97 



CHAPTER YI. 

HOW A MAN TRIED TO REACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 

IT is the month of February, 1492. The skies are mild, the flowers 
in bloom, and the birds are singing in the orange gardens of tlie 
Alhambra, in the old town of Gi-anada. Notwithstanding this joy and 
gladness in nature, there is one man in Granada wlio has no heart to en- 
joy it, for he has just seen a great hope, one wliich he has cherished many 
3'ears, go down, never to rise again, so far as he can see. He comes out 
from the Alhambra — leaving its magniricent colonnades, its bubbling foun- 
tains, its beautiful gardens, never expecting again to behold them — mounts 
a mule, rides out tlirougli the narrow sti-eets, through the city gate, witli 










THi; ALHAMB]JA. 

7 



98 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



his head bowed upon his breast. lie is a gi-ay-l)earded man, and time is 
deepening the furrows in his forehead, and on this day they are deeper 
than ever. lie lias a proud spirit, and it is hard to bear tlie great disap- 
pointment that has come to liim. In bitterness of spirit, he rides away. 

He is a sailor, and has conceived the idea that by sailing west he can 
reach the east. He believes that the earth is round, although neai-ly every- 
body else says that it is flat. The sailor was born in .Genoa, whei'e, when 




COLUMBUS. 



he was a boy, he helped his father comb wool. He went to school in 
Pavia, and studied Latin, geometry, astronomy, and navigation. When he 
was only fourteen years old, he went to sea with his uncle, and was in a 
battle with some Venetian ships. Then he sailed through the Straits of 
Gibraltar, coasted along Africa as far south as Guiana. Once, off the 
coast of Portugal, he had a terrible fight with a Venetian ship. He was 
a captain then. Both of the ships were set on fire, and he saved himself 
by swimming two miles to the shore. It was a fortunate escape, however, 



HOW A MAN TRIED TO REACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 



99 



for an old sea captain, who liad a 
beautiful daughter, befriended him, H. 
and the daughter became liis wife. 

Those were delightful days. Lis- 
bon was a royal city. It had a strong f 
old castle, built of stone — the Castle 
of Belem — and a castle on a hill 
overlooking the town. Every day 
there were processions of priests in 
the streets, carrying banners and 
crosses. 

The old captain had made many 
voyages to the Canary Islands. He 
did not believe the stories told about 
the unknown sea far away to the 
west of the islands — that it was boil- 
ins-hot, nor that the great continent 
Atlantis which Plato wrote about 
liad disappeared beneath the waves. It was from talking with his wife's 
father that the gray-bearded man had come to believe that by sailing west 
he could reach tlie Indies. He remembered that the old Carthas-inians 




■\VOOL-COJIBEU. 




HK UKLIKVES THAT Till: KAUTH IS KOCNK. 



tore. 



100 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



iiiaintained that there were green islands in the west. He had read that 
St. Brandon, a priest of Scotland, eight liundred years before, had been 
swept by a storm far away to the west, and had landed in a strange coun- 
try. He was informed that Martin Vincent, a sailor of Lisbon, when he 
was four hundred miles from land, on a voyage to the Canary Islands, 
once picked up a piece of wood curiously carved, which the winds had 
drifted from the west. Reeds like those brought from India had floated 
to the shores of Portugal, and the bodies of two men unlike any other 
human beings had been seen in the water by sailors when far from land. 
From whence came they ? 

Fired with enthusiasm, the sailor went to the king, John of Portugal, 
with his project, and made it so plain that the earth was round, that China 
(which Marco Polo had visited) could be reached by sailing west, that the 
king in part believed it. But would not great glory, honor, and advantage 
come from such a discovery ? Certainly ; and the king determined to 
secure whatever benefit might come from it. He was not a high-minded 




THE OLD CASTLE. 



HOW A MAN TRIED TO REACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 101 

man, and, after getting all the information he could from the sailor, sent 
out a ship secretly to make discoveries ; but the sailors, after a few days, 




MARCO POLO. 



became frightened at finding themselves so far from land, and returned, 
saying that there was no land in that direction. "You can't reach the 
east by sailing west," they said. 

Those were dark days to the brave sailor. The king liad acted per- 
fidiously, and now his wife died. He could no longer stay in Lisbon, but 



102 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




took his little boy, Diego, and went home to his native city (Genoa), for 
he thought perhaps his townsmen would help him ; but they laughed at 
him instead. 

" Reach the Indies by sailing west ?" 

"Yes." 

" You are crazy." 

So he can get no help from those who know him best. He has a 
brother in Spain ; he will go and visit liim. He lands with his son Diego 
at Pal OS. His brotiier lives in the country. He is too poor to hire a mule, 
and the sailor, witli his pack on his back, leading Diego, goes out over the 
dusty road on foot. He comes to the convent La Rabiada. Diego is 
Iningry, for he has had little to eat. Surely tlie good fathers will give 
him a crust of bread and a drink of water. He knocks at the gate. The 
porter answers the knock, and goes to get a bit of bread, and while he 
is gone Father Perez, the prior of the convent, who lias been out for a 
walk, comes up. He wears a broad-brimmed hat, and has a red cross em- 
broidered on his robe. He is a good man, and hears the sailor's story. 

" Reach India by sailing west f 

" Yes." 



HOW A MAN TRIED TO KEACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 103 

" That is an idea worth thinking about. You must spend the night 
with nie. I have a learned friend, Doctor Fernandez. I will ask him to 
come in and spend the evening." 

So the sailor and Diego got a good supper ; and Father Perez and 
Doctor Fernandez listen to the sailor's story, and are greatly pleased with 
what he has to say. Father Perez gives him a letter of introduction, as 
we have already seen, to Father Talavera, who is Queen Isabella's con- 
fessor, and who has great influence at court. lie is one of the men who 
ask questions. The sailor must go and see him, and he will introduce him 
to the king and queen. Meanwhile, Diego can stay at the convent and at- 
tend school. This is in 1486. 

The sailor leaves Diego with his good friend, and hastens to Cordova, 
where King Fei'dinand is connnanding a great army. All the nobles of 
Spain are there, and squadrons are marching to drive the Moors out of the 
country. The sailor delivers his letter to Father Talavera; but the queen's 
confessor cannot stop to notice a poor sailor, even though he comes with a 




A MOKSEL OF BUKAD lOli UIEGO, IF YOU FLEASE. 



letter from his friend, Father Perez ; nor has the king any time to listen 
to his story. The army moves away, and the sailor, to keep himself from 
starvation, draws maps and charts, which he sells in Cordova. 

The days are verj' dark now. No money, and starvation before him. 
But he finds another fi'iend (Cardinal Mendoza), who has great influence 



104 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



with the king. Having married Isabella, and made Castile and Aragon a 
united country, Ferdinand is planning new entei-pi-ises. lie covets the 




'"iiV SAILING WJiST, I SHALL BE ABLli TO KKACII THE INUIES. 

kingdom of Xavarre, in the Pyrenees. He will seize that bj-and-l>y, and 
so rob Catherine de Foix of her dominion. But just now he is sitting by 
the gurgling fountains. The cardinal goes to the king. 

" I have made the acquaintance of a sailor w-ho has a grand project to 
lay before your Majesty." 
"^ " What is it ?" 

" To reach the east by sailing M-est." 

" Oh yes, I remember Father Talavera said something about it some 
time ago." 

" He is no ordinary man. I have listened to his story with great in- 
terest : his project seems reasonable." 

" I will direct Father Talavera to call a council of learned men to in- 
vestigate the matter." 

The council meets in the Convent of St. Stephen, in Salamanca. There 
are bishops, archbishops, and learned doctors from the universities, in the 
assembly, who hear what the sailor has to say. 

" Do you mean to say that you can reach the east by going west ?" 

" Yes." 

*' It is a preposterous idea." 



HOW A MAN TRIED TO REACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 105 

" But tlie ancient geograplier Ptolemy, and the learned men of his 
time, maintained that the earth was round; and if it is round, does it not 
stand to reason that we can reach India by sailing west?" 

" No. To say that the earth is round is conti-ary to the Bible, which 
says, in the Psalms, that the heavens are stretched out like a tent. Of 
course it must be flat." 

" The sun and moon are round, as we see ; why not the earth f the 
sailor replies. 

" If the earth is a ball, w^iat holds it up ?" the cardinal inquires. 

" We might ask what holds the sun and moon up," is the sailor's 
answer. 

" The idea that the earth is round is absurd. How can men walk witli 
their heads hanging down and their feet upward, like flies on a ceiling '<" 
asks a learned doctor. 

" How can trees grow with their roots in the air ?" interposes an- 
other. 

" The water would all run out of the ponds, and we should all fall 
off," says still another. 

So the wise doctors reason. 

" The idea is based on a false philosophy, and to say that the earth is 
round is heresy," says one. 




COLU.MBUS EXI^LAINING HIS I'LAN Bliiullb; I'EUUINANU ANU ISAUKLLA. 



That is their decision. Heresy ! It is an ominous word. The men 
who ask questions make short work with heretics. The sailor must be 



106 



THE STORY OF LIBER I'Y. 



careful about his belief. If he maintains that the world is round, when 
the doctors say it is fiat, it will be worse for him. 

Seven years pass. The sailor is growing old, but he lias not given np 
his belief that he can reach India by sailing west. He lias waited for 
Ferdinand and Isabelhi to drive the Moors from Spain. They have suc- 
ceeded — have taken the last stronghold, Granada, and are now in the 
grand and beautiful Alliambra, with their little girl Katherine, who is four 






^^fiJjTp" . 



^"^T? 




KETUKNING TO THE ALHA.HBKA. 



years old. They sit by the gurgling fountains, walk amidst the orange- 
groves, and stroll along the corridors where the Moorish kings have lived 
in luxuriance and pride. The sailor has thought, now that the war is 
over, Ferdinand and Isabella would aid him. Vain hope; he has had his 
last interview with them. The queen was almost persuaded to help him, 
but has at last declined. Never again will he trouble her. He is riding 
away, turning his back forever on Spain. 

'" Have you seen a man on a mule — a gray-bearded man — pass out of 
the irate ?" 



HOW A MAN TRIED TO BEACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 107 

A horseman asks the question of tlie soldier guarding the entrance to 
the city. 

"Yes; there he is, away on the plain," says the sentinel, pointing to 
the retreating form. 

The horseman sees a little speck far away, strikes the spurs into the 
sides of the horse, and flies like the wind along the road. 

" Halloo !" 

The sailor reins in Iiis mule. 

" The queen has sent me to ask you to j-eturn." 

Christopher Columbus turns once moi-e to the city, and with him turns 
the world. It was Luis St. Angel, one of Columbus's friends, who saw 
liiin ride awa}^ so downhearted, who hastened to the queen to persuade her 
to call him back. 

" Think how great the gain may be, at a trifling expense, if what the 
sailor believes should prove true," said the earnest man. 

" It shall be done. I will undertake. I will pledge my jewels to 
raise the money. Call him back." 

So the horseman rides after him. He goes back to the grand palace 
to hold one more interview with the king and queen. Perhaps, while 
they are turning over the project, he plays with the little girl Katherine, 
taking her in his arms, maybe, and telling her a story. Let us keep 
Katherine in remembrance, for we shall see her by-and-by. 

All things are arranged. It is the 3d of August. Three little ships 
lie at anchor in the harbor of Palos. They are little larger than fishing- 
boats, and only the largest has a deck in the centre. The other two are 
built high, with decks at stem and stern, but open in the centre. There is 
a commotion on shipboard and on the shore. A great crowd has assem- 
bled, for the ships are about to sail away where ships never yet have sailed, 
over unknown seas — over that sea where the waves are boiling-hot. The 
sailors are loath to go. No one kno\vs what dangers await them — what 
storms, what whirlpools, wdiat mysterious agencies may destroy them. The 
admiral of the little fleet (the gray-bearded sailor, Christopher Columbus) 
says that the world is round ; if so, how will they ever be able to return ? 
Can a ship sail up-hill ? The sailors have not volunteered to go, but have 
been forced into service b}- the king. On the sliore their friends are weep- 
ing and lamenting their departure. Never again will they behold them. 
The vessels are the Santa Maria, with the admiral's flasc flvino- above it : 
tlie Pinta, commanded by Alonzo Pinzon ; and the Niha^ commanded by 
Yanez Pinzon. 

Columbus's ever-faithful friend, the good prior of La Rabiada, stands 



108 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



The last good- 



upon the deck of the Santa Maria to bestow his blessing 

bje is spoken, the anchors are raised, the sails spread, and the vessels sail 

away, shaping their course toward the Canaries. 

On the third day the Pintd^s signal of distress is flying; her rudder is 
unhung and broken, but Captain Alonzo Pinzon is an able seaman, and 




■^i5^=^. 



THE SHIPS. 



secures it with ropes until the Canary Islands are reached, when a new 
rudder is obtained. 

On Saturday, the 6tli of September, the three vessels turn their prows 
westward. On Sunday morning they are still within sight of land ; but a 
fresh breeze springs up, and soon the last glimpse fades away. 

The sailors would be brave in a battle, but now they give way to their 
fears. The apprehension of experiencing something which no man has 



HOW A MAN TRIED TO REACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 109 

ever experienced — something strange and terrible — causes their cheeks to 
whiten and their eyes to fill with tears. 

The admiral calms them by his description of India — a land abound- 
ing with gold and silver and precious stones, which they will surely visit. 

Monday morning comes, and they discover the mast of a vessel float- 
ing in the sea, which is covered with sea-weed, and has been a long time 
in tlie water. The sailoi's give way to their lamentations. They too, sure- 
ly, will be shipwrecked. 

On the 13tli of September the ships are two hundred miles west of the 
Canai'ies. Columbus notices, in the evening, that the compass no longer 
points to the north star, but has changed five degrees to the west. What 
is the meaning of it ? Is the guide to which they have always trusted to 
fail them now? He knows that the sun and moon are globes; he believes 
that the earth also is a globe ; but he does not know that the earth turns 
on its axis every twenty-four hours — so bringing day and night. Such an 
idea has not yet dawned upon the mind of any man. There is a young 
man, however, up in Poland, Nikolaus Kopernik, nineteen years old, who 
is studying astronomy, and who a few years hence will propound the 




Tin; CANARY ISLANDS. 



110 



THE STORY OF LIBERIT. 



Startling theory tliat the apparent movement of the sun around the eartli 
is in reah'ty the earth tiirnino; on its axis every twenty-four hours. 

There is also a man in Pisa — the city in which there is a wonderful 
leaning tower — Galileo, who is studying tlie heavens. He is twenty-seven 

years old ; and a few years 



hence he will construct a tuhe 
with glasses in it which will 
bring the stars and planets so 
near to the earth that he will 
see that several moons are 
clustered ai'ound Jupiter — that 
they change their positions 
from day to da}'. 

But Christopher Columbus 
knows nothing of this ; he sees 
oidy that his compass is fail- 
ing him. The sailors behold 
it with terror ; but he quiets 
their fears by saying that the 
north star is not exactly north. 

On, day after da}', they sail. 
Birds hover around the ships. 
The water is full of sea-weed. 

GALILEO. 

By the 1st of October they 
have sailed twenty- three hundred miles — though the reckoning Mhich 
Columbus shows to the sailors makes it only seventeen hundred miles. 

The wind blows steadily from the east; but the sailors, seeing how 
far they have come, fear that with the wind blowing steadily in one di- 
rection they never will be able to return. They are all but ready to 
mutinj' ; but Columbus quiets them, and offers to give twenty-five dollars 
to the man who first discovers land. Now all eyes are turned toward the 
west. 

" Land !" 

A sailor shouts it. All hearts beat more quickly, but the sailor is mis- 
taken : no land is to be seen, and the enthusiasm is followed by despond- 
ency. They murmur once more. 

" We are not far from land. We shall soon discover it," says Columbus, 

"See! there is a bush with berries on it." 

They pick up a shrub floating in the sea. Sure enough there are ber- 
ries on it. That did not srrow in the sea. 




HOW A MAN TRIED TO REACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. Ill 

" These are land birds," says Columbus, pointing to birds that hover 
around the vessels. 

" Look there ! A piece of wood. That did not grow in the sea." 

They pick up the wood. " What ! it is carved. These are marks of 
tools. It is not part of a vessel. It did not come from a ship. No ship 
ever sailed here. There must be land ahead." 

At sunset the crew kneel upon the decic, and chant the vesper-hymn 




SEA-WEED. 



It is sixty-seven days since they left Palos. Columbus has calculated 
that it is three thousand miles from Spain to China, and he has sailed al- 
most that far. He knows from the birds around him, by the change in 
the temperature of the atmosphere, that he cannot be far from land. Once 
only has he changed his course, and that to tlie south-west, following the 
birds which fly in that direction. Ten o'clock. What is that ? A light ! 
There it is— far away. A moment he sees it. It is gone. There it is again. 



112 



Till-: STORY OF LIBERTY. 



Two o'clock in the morning, October ll2tli — hour most memorable! 
Roderigo de Friana is on the lookout at the ma<t-head of the Pinta. 
What is that? It cannot be a bank of cloud, for the stars are brightlj 
shining. 

" Land ! Land ! Land !" 

There is a commotion on shipboard. 

<-' Where ?" 

" There — there. Don't you see it V 

"Land! Land! Land!" 

The cannon are fired. Xo echoes like those ever before were awakencl 
along the shores of the Bahama Isles. Day dawns. 

There it is, a green and sunny isle — an earthly paradise — green trees, 
fi'agrant flowers, myriads of birds, gronps of mcM, women, and children, 
gazing in wonder upon the ships. 

The sailors who have been so faint-hearted, so ready to mutiny, throw 
themselves upon the deck and beg Columbus to forgive them. The anch- 
ors are dropped and the boats lowered. The banner of Spain is un- 
furled, and Columbus, in a scarlet robe, wearing his sword, approaches the 
shore. He steps from the boat, kneels, and with clasped hands gives 




THE NEW AVORLD. 



thanks to God, and then with imposing ceremonies takes possession of the 
land in the name of the king and queen, and names it San Salvador. The 
natives gather around, wondering at what they see. From whence came 



now A MAN TRIED TO REACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 113 

these beings? From the clouds? Or did they rise from the sea? They 
accept with delight the trinkets which Cohunbns gives tliem. They tlirow 
themselves into tlie water and swim out to the ships, climb the sides, and 
gaze in astonishment at what they behold. "When the cannon are fired, 




THE LANDING. 



they fall on their faces. To them it is lightning and thunder. They bring 
fruits (bananas and yams and oranges), and birds of bright plumage (par- 
rots and other birds), and give them to the sailors. They wear pieces of 
gold attached to their ears, which they give in exchange for little tinkling 
bells. The Spaniards are eager to obtain gold. 

"Where did yon get it?" they ask, by signs, and the Indians point 
toward the west. The sailors can see other islands lying along the hori- 
zon, and they enter the sliips and sail away, carrying seven of the Indians, 
who willingly go with them. 

They visit island after island, gazing in wonder and delight at the ever- 
changing but beantiful panorama. The mountains are clothed with trop- 
ical verdure. There are myriads of bright-hued flowers, climbing vines, 
groves of palm and cocoa. The sea breaks on pebbled beaches, tlie skies 



114 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




ALONG THE SHORE. 



are mild, the air balmy aTul resonant with tlie songs of birds such as they 
never before have seen. They have found paradise. 

They come to an island larger than the others, where rivers of sweet 
waters descend from the mountains. They go up a placid stream in tlieir 
boats, beholding everywhere new beauties. 

"I could live here forever," says Columbus. The natives call this 
island Cuba. He i-eturns to the ship and coasts for three days along the 
shores, believing that he has reached India. 

The Indians bring them a fruit which grows in the ground, which 
thev roast in a bed of hot ashes, and which is sweet and nutritious. 

" What do you call it ?" the sailors ask, by signs. 

" Batatoes." 

This is the first eating of potatoes by Europeans. 

The Indians roll up a dry leaf of a plant which bears a beautiful pink 
flower, light one end and inhale the smoke at the other end, puffing it 
from their mouth and nostrils. 

" To-bac-co," say they. 



HOW A MAN TRIED TO REACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 115 

The sailors try it, and are made sick at fij-st, but soon enjoy it. From 
Cuba the vessels sail to an island which the Indians call Hayti, bnt which 
Columbus calls Ilispaniola. He lands, and beneath the giant forest trees 
rears a cross and plants the standard of Spain. Thousands of parrots 
chatter around them, humming-birds dart swiftly through the air, and 
flamingoes stalk along tiie shore. 

The sailors capture an Indian girl, but Columbus treats her kindly, 
and she is delighted with the necklace of little bells which he g-ives 
her. One of the vessels strikes upon a rock and is wrecked, but the 
sailors take the goods on shore. Through the Indian girl, Columbus in- 
duces the natives to return from the forest into which they have fled. 
They are simple-hearted, kind, and honest ; nor do they steal any of the 
goods. " They love their neighbors as themselves," writes Columbus in 
his journal. 

The chief gets up a grand banquet of fish, fruits, and potatoes ; and, 
after the feast, the natives have a dance. Columbus, in turn, orders the 
sailors to go through military evolutions. The Indians gaze in admiration 
upon the bright swords gleaming in the sunshine, but fall to the ground in 







KEAUING THE CROSS. 



terror when a cannon is fired. Columbus builds a fort, and leaves a gar- 
rison to hold it, and sails for Spain. Pie reaches the Azores, but, soon 
after leaving those islands, a great storm comes on, and the ships are sep- 



116 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

arated. He fears that all will be lust; but, on the 4th of March, he drops 
anchor at the mouth of the river Tagus, ten miles from Lisbon ; and on 
the 15th of Marcli he sails into the harbor of Palos. 

What a connnotion there is ! 

" Chi'istopher Columbus has come !" 

The cry runs over the town. Every boat is launched, and the rowers 
pull with all tlieir might, to be the first to reach the ship. 

"A new world is discovered!" The bells ring, cannon thnnder, bon- 
fires blaze. It is not a fiction, for there are the Indians — six of them — and 




KKTURNING TO SPAIN. 



parrots, flamingoes, rolls of Indian cloth, bananas, potatoes, gold ! The 
news goes from house to house. Eveiybody rejoices over the wonderful 
intelligence. 

It is a trinmphal march which Columbus makes to Barcelona — six 
hundred miles — to pay his respects to Ferdinand and Isabella. He goes 
as a conqneror, noblemen accompanying him. People come from afar to 
see him, to gaze upon the Indians and the parrots. 

The king and qneen receive Columbus in great state, and take deliglit 
in honoring him. And why should they not ? Has he not given them a 
new empire ? But the doctors who ridiculed him at Salamanca are en- 
vious. It is not pleasant to have all tlieir fine theories npset, and to feel 
that they have made fools of themselves. Besides, this adventurer is an 



HOW A MAN TRIED TO REACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 117 




nil:; Kl.NG AND tiULEN llliCElVE Hill IN (iKKAT STATK, 

Italian; and tlie}- do not like to think that an Italian, and not a Span- 
iard, is the discoverer of a new world. The Grand Cardinal invites 
Columbns to a dinner. The great doctors are there. One is so envious 
that he cannot restrain himself from o:ivinii- Colnnil)ns a little stub. 




THAT IS THC \\AV TO DO IT. 



118 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



" Do von think tliat there is no man in Spain capable of maldno- the 
discovery ?" he asks. 

Columbus replies by asking a question : 

" Is there any one at the table who can make an egg stand on end f ' 

They try, but all fail. 

" Can you do it ?" 

" Certainly." 

He breaks the shell at the end, and the egg stands. 

" Tiiat is the way to do it." 

"Anybody can do that." 

" So anybody can go to the new land, now that I have discovered 

it." 

Very soon Columbus is sailing west again, this time with twelve ships 
and twelve hundred men. Thousands want to go. They take horses, 
pigs, cattle, and dogs, for these animals are not found in tiie new world.' 
Twelve priests go to convert the Indians to the Cathohc faith. lie comes 
to the colony, but no one is there. They find skulls, bones, decayed bodies. 




ALL IIAVK PlililSHEU. 



ruins. Those whom he left quarrelled among themselves, then separated 
and lived with the Indians. A powerful tribe came down one day from 
the mountains and killed every Spaniard, and a great many of the coast 
Indians. He leaves a second colony, and sails away to the west in search 



now A MAN TRIED TO REACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 110 

of new lajids, and discovers the island of Jamaica. He finds no moun- 
tains of gold, and the adventurers are disappointed. Sickness breaks out; 
their provisions fail. Some of the ships turn back to Spain. Many of 
those who are with him are young noblemen, who, because they do not 




IN CHAINS. 



find gold, denounce Culumbus as a deceiver; but he sails on, discovers new 
lands, and then returns to Spain. The nobles are so jealous of him tlmt 
two years pass before he can get ready for another voyage. He sails once 
more, steering farther south, and, after sailing thirty-eight days, discovers 
an island with three mountain peaks, which he calls " The Trinity ;" and 
just beyond he beholds the main -land. South America, and sails many 
miles along the coast. This is in 14:98. 

He is Governor of the New World. The only settlement is that in 
Hayti ; but the grandees are so jealous that they cannot bear to have an 
Italian over them. They accuse him to the king falsely, invent lies, till 
the king is persuaded to supei-sede him, and send out a vain, pompous, 
cruel man — Bobadilla — to be governor, who arrests Columbus, puts him in 
prison, rivets fetters upon his ankles, and sends him to Spain. 

The captain of the ship is indignant at such treatment of the noble- 
hearted sailor. 

" I will strike off the irons," he says. 

"No; the king commanded me to submit to whatever Bobadilla should 



120 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



order in Iiis name. I will not remove them. I M-iH wear them, and keep 
them as memorials of my rewai'd !" 

In irons he is taken to Cadiz. 

" Shame ! shame !" 

The people shout it, and the king strikes off the fetters. 

Once more Colnmbns sails. He is an old man now; his beard is 
white, and he is not so strong as he was. He stops at Hajti, and then sails 




A DHAGON KATING IT UP. 



west through the Caribbean Sea, skirting the main-land, seeking ever to 
find a passage to India. He lands at a place where there is a delicious 
spring of water, and which to this day is called Columbus's Spring. His 
vessels are driven ashore in a storm. He is taken sick. The Indfans are 
hostile. He needs provisions, but cannot get them from the Indians, who 
are planning to attack the strangers. He must make them supply' him 
with food. He understands astronomy, and knows that the moon will 
soon be eclipsed. The Indians are superstitious, and he sends this word 
to the chiefs : 

"The Great Spirit is offended with you, because you will not supply 
me with provisioTis." 

The Indians laugh at the message. 

"You will see the moon fade away. The Great Spirit will cover it 
np and make it all dark." 



HOW A MAN TRIED TO REACH THE EAST BY SAILING WEST. 121 

They langli again. Night comes, and the full moon rises, round and 
red ; but soon the Indians see a shadow creeping over it, beginning at 
one side. 

"A dragon is eating it up!" tho}' cry, and throw themselves upon the 
ground in terror. 

" The Great Spirit will pardon you, and give you back the moon, if 
you bring me provisions." 

" We will bring them." 

They come with baskets filled with yams and potatoes and fruits. So 
he obtains provisions, but his vessels are driven ashore in a storm, and he 
must die there unless a vessel shall perchance sail along the coast. 

One day the sailors see two specks far away, and soon discover that 
they are two vessels. A fire is kindled, and those on board the ships, at- 
tracted by the smoke, sail along the shore and discover those whom they 
are seekino-. So Columbus and his fellow-sailors are rescued from death. 

Twelve years have passed since Columbus discovered San Salvador. 
The islands which then were a paradise, the abode of simple-hearted peo- 
ple, are drenched in blood. The Spaniards have had but one thought — ■ 




THE RESCUE. 



to get gold and to gratify passion. Thousands of tlie Indians have been 
killed, other thousands carried into slavery. The Indians had no rights 
which the cruel men felt bound to respect. 



122 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



On the 20th of May, 1506, at Valladolid, Christopher CoUimbiis, old, 
in povert}', begging liis bread, lies down to die. No one cares for him, 
but he dies calmly and peacefully. So closes the life of the man who led 
the way for the disco veiy of the future home of Liberty. 




COLUMBUS S MoNU.MliNT, GENOA. 



THE NEW HOME OF LIBERTY. 



125 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE NEW HOME OF LIBERTY. 

THE news that Christopher Columbus has discovered wonderful lands 
in the West readies the old town of Bristol, in England. It was down 
past this town tliat the dnst of Doctor Wicklif floated to the sea. It 
was a Bristol trader whose 
teeth were pulled out by 
John Lackland for refusing 
to give up his money. The 
merchants of Bristol were 
enterprising men, and were 
sending their ships to France, 
to the Mediterranean, and 
the North Sea. 

Two of the sea-captains 
employed by the merchants 
were a father and son, John 
and Sebastian Cabot. The 
father was born in Venice, 
a city that stands in the sea, 
where the people, instead 
of riding in carriages, glide 
along the water-ways in gon- 
dolas. They were brave, adventurous men, and, liearing of Columbus's 
discoveries, persuaded the Bristol men to flt out a fleet for the purpose of 
discovering a new route to the Indies. The merchants can do nothing 
without first obtaining permission from the king, Henry VII. There is 
not much liberty in England or any wliere else. The king is supreine. 
Henry loves money, and when the citizens of Bristol come before him 
with their petition, he sees an opportunity to impose conditions which 
possibly may bring money into his pockets at their expense. 

" If you discover any countries, they shall be mine," he says. 




SKBASTIAN CABOT. 



124 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



He is possessed Avitli the idea that lie alone can lay claim to all coun- 
tries discovered, no matter who may be living upon the land. The people 
of England have few rights which he is bound to respect ; much less will 
the Indians have any rights. 

*' That we promise," the merchants reply. 

" If you make any money, I must have one-fifth of it." 

This is a hard condition. Not a dollar will he contribute toward fit- 



M 






THE SKA SWAKMS \\ ITU FISH. 



ting out the expedition. The mei-chants must be at all the expense. 
They may lose every cent of their investment, their vessels may be 
wrecked ; the king will not share in any loss. But on no other condi- 
tion will he permit the fleet to sail. Hard as the terms are, the mer- 
chants accept them. 

In the month of May, 1497, John Cabot commanding one vessel, Se- 



THE NEW HOME OF LIBERTY. 



125 



bastian another, with a third to keep them company, set sail from Bristol. 
The tide wafts them down the Severn River, just as it wafted John Wick- 
lifs dust. They steer westward — out upon a stormy sea, to sail where 
vessels never have sailed before. 

By the middle of June they find themselves on sounding:s, and the 
sea is swarming with fish. They catch all they want. Never before have 
they seen such myriads of fisli. 

On the 24t]i of June they discover land. It is not India, for they are 
only sixteen hundred miles west of Ii'eland. They name it Prima Vista. 
It is new found land. They behold dense forests of pine and cedar, but 
no sign that it is inhabited. 

They sail north-west, and discover a bleak and rocky shore, where the 
surf is breaking on cavern ledges— the coast of Labrador. Since the days 




AJaoXG TJIE ICEUEKGS. 



V26 



THE STOKY OF LIBERTY. 




THE ROCKY SHORE. 



of the old Northmen, no Enropeau eye has seen the Western continent. 
Cohimbus has as vet only discovered the West India Islands. Onward 
the vessels glide, sailing north-west, till at midnight, on the July days, the 
snn only disappears for a few moments beneath the horizon. They are in 
the frozen sea, with icebergs around them. Their provisions begin to fail ; 



THE NEW HOME OF LIBEKTY. 



127 



tlie ice blocks their fartlier progress ; ■- 
and the brave sailors, disappointed 
in not being able to find a way to 
India, but happy in tlie thought that 
they have discovered new lands, re- 
turn to Bristol. 

Although the merchants have 
spent much money, they resolve to 
fit out a second expedition. John 
Cabot is getting to be an old man ; 
but Sebastian is in the full vigor of 
manhood, and a skilful navigator, 
and they give the command to him. 
He sails west to the New-found- 
land, but, instead of steering north 
after sigliting its wooded shores, 
turns south, enters the Bay of Fun- 
dy, W'here the tide rushes in with 
a roar like distant thunder, rising 
sixty feet. Sailing still farther, lie 
comes to Frenchman's Bay, and 
gazes upon Mount Desert, at whose 
base the sea breaks upon granite 
ledges, tossing the spray high in air. 

Day after day the vessel glides 
along, past bluffs and headlands, 
where the waves have eaten their 
way into rocky caverns, then past 
sandy beaches glowing in the sum- 
mer sun. If a storm comes on. 
Captain Cabot finds shelter behind 
some island. 

Southward the vessel sails, past 
Cape Ann, past Cape Cod ; then 
turning westward, skirts the shores 
of Long Island, and then the coast 
of New Jersey, and the low beaches 
of Delaware and Virginia — sailing 
till provisions fail, M-hen the hardy 
captain turns about, and reaches England, informing the king that 




THE CAVIOKNS. 



he has 



128 



THE STORY OF LIBEUrY. 



discovered a fuir and virgin land in the west, vvhicli he mav claim as his 
own. 

As this story unfolds, we shall see that through the enterprise of 
the Bristol merchants, through the discoveries of Sehastian Cabot, and 
throngh the claims of the king to the ownei-sliip of all lands discovered 
by him, the new home of liberty became the heritage of the people of 
England. 

The King of Spain could not at that moment claim possession of the 
New AVorld by priority of discovery ; for while Sebastian Cabot was sail- 
ing along the coast of Virgijiia, Columbus was staiting on his third voy- 
age, during which he discovered South America, as we have seen. 

Would the United States have been the nation tiiat it is if Spain had 
first discovered North America, and established its colonies and planted its 
civilization on the shores of Virginia? Far from it; for the king, who 
could violate his most solenm promises, as Ferdinand violated his with the 

Moors — the queen, Isabella, who 
could sit complacently by while 
hei-etics were being roasted to death 
— the people who could drive out 
the Jews and Moors, and seize their 
estates, were not the sovereigns nor 
the people to establish liberty in the 
Western World. We shall see that 
it required such men as those who 
compelled John Lackland to sign 
the Magna Charta ; such men as 
John AVicklif, who dared to brave 
the Pope's authority ; such men as 
Geoff i-ey Chaucei", who dared to 
ridicule the monks — men who wei'e 
strong-hearted enough to i-esist tyr- 
anny, who were ready to sacrifice everything they held dear rather than 
yield their natural rights — that it required such men to plant the seeds 
of a new civilization in the M'estern hemispliere. 

It was not till two years after Cabot's voyage that Amerigo Vespucci 
sailed on his voyage of discovery; and although the continent of America 
bears his name, he was far from being the first to discover it. 

The intelligence that the sea off Newfoundland is alive with fish is 
good news to the fishermen of Northern France, for the Pope has decreed 
that everybody must eat fish on Friday. The fisiiermen of Honfleur and 




AMiatlGO VESPUCCI. 



THE NEW HOME OF LIBERTY. 



129 



otner towns set sail in their little vessels for the Kew-found-land, and drop 
their anchors in a bay, which they call St. John's. They dress their lish, 




DRKSSING THEIR FISH. 



and dry them on tlie rocks and ledges. They build hurdles of brush, and 
lay tlie fish upon them to dry, pack them in the hold, and go back to 
France witli their vessels loaded to the water's edge. 

While the fishermen of France are making these voyages to New- 
foundland, the Spaniards are establishing colonies in the West Indies, for 
they now know that tlie islands are not the East Indies. They make the 
Indians slaves, treat them cruelly, making themselves rich on the unre- 
quited labor of the simple-hearted natives. 

Adventurers are sailing here and there, establishing colonies and seek- 
ing for gold. One of the adventurers is Martin Encisco. He is at Ilayti, 
ready to sail into the unexplored regions of the west. Just before the 
anchor is hoisted, two men bring a cask on board the ship. Tlie sails are 
hoisted, and the vessel speeds away over the waters. The sailors l:ear a 
pounding inside of the cask ; then the head falls out, and, to their amaze- 
ment, a young man stands before them. It is Vasco Balboa, a young 
Spanish nobleman, who has led a dissolute life in Spain, who has been try- 

9 



30 



THE STORY OF LIBERrY. 



in2^ to recover his fortune at Ilayti, but who has been getting deeper in 
debt. He has taken this method to escape from his creditors. 

" Who are you V Captain Encisco asks. 

"Yasco Nunez de Balboa." 

lie is young, noble-looking, fearless, and well-dressed. 

" I will leave you on the first island I come to," says the captain, in a 
rage ; but he soon sees that Balboa is a man M'ho can be of great use to 
hiui. 

This man from the cask has already been down to a place called 
Darien — a rich country, where the Indians have gold in abundance. 

" I will pilot you there; we shall find gold," sa^^s Balboa. 

They reach Darien, make an attack upon an Indian village, and col- 
lect gold ornaments worth fifty thousand dollars. Encisco makes a settle- 




' ment; but he forbids the sailors to trade 1=^ 

with the Indians. The sailors do not like 
that ; so they mntiny, and elect Ball)oa to be their leader. The man from 
the cask sends Encisco back to Hayti a prisoner ; but he is careful to send 
a large amount of gold to the royal treasurer there, who is a great favorite 
oi the King of Spain. He has among his followers a brave but cruel 
man, Pizarro, who by-and-by will be heard of in Peru. 

One day Balboa is surpiised to see two men come into his camp 



THE NKW HOME OF LIBERTY. 



131 



dressed in skins of wild beasts. They are Spaniards, deserters from a 
colony on the coast, and they have been living with an Indian chief, who 
has treated them with much kindness. The chief is rich ; and the men 
offer to conduct Balboa to his capital. With one liundred and thirty men 
he marches to the town. The chief receives them courteously ; and Bal- 
boa, after seeing how much gold the chief has in his possession, takes his 
departure, but in the night stealthily returns, falls upon the village, capt- 



,.,-^^^^^^TW 




THE HEAD OF THE CASK FALLS OUT, A.NU A YOUNG MAN STANDS BEFOKE THEK. 



132 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



nres the chief and all his family, and plunders the place. The chief com- 
plains bitterly of the perfidy. He wishes to be a friend to the Spaniards, 
and offers his dano;hter to Balboa in marriasje. The commander of the 




THE CHIEF OFFERS HIS DAUGHTUR IN MARRIAGE. 



Spaniards sees that it will be better to have the good-will rather than the 
enmity of the chief, and accepts the girl as his wife, and becomes very 
fond of her, and she of him. In company with the chief, he visits an- 
other chief, who lives in a great palace four hundred and fifty feet long, 
and two hundred and fifty broad, built of heavy timber. The Spaniards 
are surprised to find an immense store of provisions, and spirituous liquors 
distilled from palm-juice and corn. In another building are the bodies 
of the dead, which have been di-ied by fires and wrapped in cloths, and 
adorned with jewels and precious stones. 



THE NEW HOME OF LIBERTY. 



133 



The chief's eldest son makes a present to Balboa of fonr thousand 
ounces of gold, which the commander distributes among his followers. In 
the division a quai-rel arises between two men, who draw their swords to 
fight. The young chief steps between them, and kicks the gold-dust con- 
temptuously about, scattering it upon the ground. 

"Do you quari-el about such stnff ? Is it for this that you make slaves 
of us, and burn our towns? Beyond those mountains is a great sea, and 
the rivers that run into it are tilled with gold, and the people who live 
there drink from golden vessels," says the young chief. 

After many adventures, Balboa determines to cross the high mountains 
which rise in the west, and see if the stories he has heard are true. One 
hundred and ninety men volunteer to go with him. They are all armed, 
and he has a pack of ferocious blood-hounds. 

On the 6th of September, 1513, leaving half of his men in care of the 
boats — about twenty miles from the mouth of Caledonia River — with In- 




" DO YOU QUAKKKL ABOUT SUCH STUFF ?" 



dians to guide him, he begins to climb the mountains. They march 
through dark woods, where in some places the palms are so thick and tall 
that they shut out the sunlight, and M'here thick vines run from tree 



134 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



to tree. Monkeys chatter at them. Tliey see venomous snakes. It is 
a toilsome journey. They march beneath the burnini? sun. The men 




CLIMBING THL MOUNTAINS. 

are ready to drop by the way, but the adventurous commander sends 
the weak ones back to tlie boats, and the rest move on. They come to 
a ti-ibe of Indians, who dispute their way, armed with slings and war- 
clubs; but the soldiers fire upon them, and Bal!)oa lets slip the blood- 
hounds, which rush upon the Indians, leaping at their throats. The flasli, 



THE NEW HOME OF LIBERTY. 



135 



the rattle, the smoke of the guns, till the Indians with astonishment, and 
they flee to the woods; but the Spaniards pursue them, and do not cease 
the slaughter till six hundi'ed have been cut in pieces. They move rapidly 
on, and at noon the next day Balboa and the sixty men with him are at 
the base of a tall mountain peak. 

" From there you will see the Great Water," says the Indian guide. 

The Great Water ! The exjJorer has heard of it; now he is to see it. 




SLADGHTER OF THE INDIANS. 



136 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



The men stop while Balboa goes on. He will be the first to behold 
tlie great sea. 

There it is! The mightiest ocean of the o-lobe — ten thousand miles 




DISCOVERY OF THE PACIFIC. 



wide — its waves rolling npon the shore, fringing it with white foam. Bal- 
boa sinks on his knees, and gives thanks to God. 

The rest climb the peak and gaze npon it, and fall prosti'ate upon 
the ground. A priest chants Te Deurn Laudamus, and the whole com- 
pany join in the thanksgiving. They cut down a tree and rear a cross 
upon the spot, pile a heap of stones around it, and descend the western 
slope. 

Another tribe of Indians oppose tliem, but the muskets and the blood- 
hounds quickly win the victor3\ Tlie chief sues for peace, and gives Bal- 



THE NEW HOME OF LIBERTY. 



137 



boa four hundred pounds of gold in exchange for some little tinkling bells, 
and thinks that he lias the best of the bargain. 

They reach the ocean, taste the water to see if it is salt, and then 
Balboa, with the flag of Spain in one hand, and his sword in the othei", 
wades in and takes possession of the ocean for his master, the King of 
Spain. 

So the Pacific Ocean, which laves the western shore of the continent 
where Liberty is to have its future abiding -place, is first beheld by a 
European ; and so Balboa takes possession of it for the monarch who is 
driving the Jews out of his realm, and roasting heretics by the thou- 
sand. 

Great hardships are endured by the Spaniards before they get back to 
the little band on the eastern shoi'e. They have many encountei's with 




9* 



BALBOA TAKING POSSESSION OF THE TACIFIC. 



138 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



the Indians. One of the chiefs captured offends Balboa, and he is torn to 
pieces by the blood-hounds. The Spaniards tind gold very abundant, and 
obtain so much that it becomes a burden. The soldiers cannot carry it. 
They are forced to climb mountains, wade through swamps, endure terri- 
ble hardships. Balboa is taken sick, but his devoted followers cari-y him 
on a blanket. After months of toil thev reach their boats, astonishino; 




THE HOUNDS TEAR HIM TO X'IKCliS. 



their comrades with the immense amount of gold in their possession — = 
gold in dust, in scales, in nuggets, golden ornaments, cuj)s, and drinking^ 
vessels, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Balboa hears of lands rich in gold southward on the Pacific coast, and 
resolves to visit them. lie cuts down trees, hews the timbers and plank, 
compels the Indians to transport the materials across the mountains. He 



THE NEW HOME OF LIBERTY. 



139 



and his followers endure incredible hardships. One day a new governor 
arrives from Spain, who liates Balboa, and accuses liim of treason, arrests 
him, and has him executed. Cohimbus is i-ewarded for discovering a new 
world by being sent home in chains; and tlie man who discovered tlie 
Pacific Ocean is executed. Tliat is the gratitude of Spain to her ilhistri- 
ous men. 



ft 




EXliCUTION UF HALUUA. 



140 



THE STORY OF LIBEKTY. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

A BOY WHO OBJECTED TO MAERYING HIS BROTHER'S WIDOW. 

NEARLY one liundrecl years have passed since the monks dug np 
the bones of Doctor Wickhf. There are not many foHowers of 
the doctor in England, for the bishops have been weeding the Lollards 
out. So many have been imprisoned in the Tower, in London, that 
one section of the edifice is called the Lollards' Prison. In one of the 
chambers the bishops sit in council for the condemnation of heretics, 




LOLLARDS PRISON. 



not that they have committed murder or theft, or for any other crime 
against society, but for reading Doctor Wicklif's translation of the Bible, 
which is a crime, in their estimation, to be punished by imprisonment or 
death. 

In Bohemia there has been a terrible war lasting many years. Thou- 
sands have been killed, and multitudes have died of starvation ; cities 
have been burned, and the land made desolate ; and all because the Em- 
peror Sigismund violated his word, and allowed John IIuss to be put to 



A BOY WHO OBJECTED TO MA^IRYING HIS BROTHER'S WIDOW. 141 

death. Men have Httle more freedom than they had one liundred years 
ago. The liei'etics have been subdued everywhere. Men must think, 
speak, and act just as they are told. The Pope is superior to the State 



iV<AV.T 




THE COUNCIL CHAMBKE, TOWKE OF LONDON. 



The bishops have their own court. A priest may commit murder, and the 
king cannot touch him. The bishops never put a priest to death, even if 
he commits murder; but let a man who is not a priest be caught reading 
the Bible, and they will soon have him roasting in the fire. The Church 
has a "Sanctuary," a safe place. If a man has committed a crime, and 
makes his escape to the sanctuary, the sheriff cannot touch him for forty 
days ; and if he wishes to escape to another country, by taking a crucifix 
in his hand he can go without molestation to the sea-shore, wade into the 
sea up to his neck, call three times for a ship to come and take him, and 
then no one can arrest him. Such a privilege enables men to commit 
crime with impunity. Justice is defeated. But it brings a great deal of 
money into the bishops' pockets, for when a rich man seeks refuge in the 
sanctuary they make him pay roundly for the privilege of being there. 



142 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



Although Doctor Wicklif preached against indulgences, the sale is go- 
ing on more briskly than ever before. A great scholar from Holland, 




THE SANCTUARY. 



Doctor Erasmus, makes a visit to England. He goes to Walsingham Ab- 
bey, with his friend the Dean of St. Paul's; and the guide shows them the 
precious relics which are kept in a chest, before whicli thousands of pil- 
grims reverently kneel and worship, leaving purses filled with money for 
the priests. 

The guide shows them something white, which looks like powdered 

chalk. 

" What is that ?" Doctor Erasmus asks. 
" Some of the Virgin Mary's milk," says 

They then 
come to a black 
trunk. 

" I have a 
precious relic 
here," says the 
guide, holding 
up a dirty rag. 




THK CHEbl. 



A BOY WHO OBJECTED TO MARRYING HIS BROTHER'S WIDOW. 143 

" Wliat is it ?" 

" It is a fragment of St. Thomas's shirt." 

The pilgrims kneel and worship the holy relic. Doctor Erasmus does 
not follow their example, but turns away disgusted, rather. Supposing it 
was a part of Thomas's shirt, does that make it holy ? Is it of any more 
value than any other rag? He returns to Holland, and writes a book 




about fools, which sets people to laughing. Here and there a man sees 
that the people are fools, and that the priests are making money out of 
their simplicity. 

The king, Henry YII., who would not let the merchants of Bristol fit 
out the expedition under John and Sebastian Cabot till they had promised 



lU 



THE STOKY OF LIBERTY. 



to give him one-fifth of all the money they made, thinks of a way where- 
by he can extort money from whomsoever he will. He establishes a court, 
which is called the Court of the Star-chamber, not only because the ceil- 




2' H A. i\L E s 



SCALE OF FEET 



WESTMINSTER ABBEY AND ITS PRECINCT, ABOUT A.D. 1735. 

ing of the chamber in which it is held is spangled with stars, but because 
the Starra — a class of state papers — are deposited there. It is a secret 
court. He establishes it in the year 1486. A man brought before it can- 
not have any witnesses to testify in his behalf, nor can he have any coun- 
sel to defend him. He cannot make an appeal to any other tribunal. The 
court is a direct violation of the Magna Charta. 

The avaricious king has two London law^yers in his employ — Richard 
Empson and Edmund Dudley — wlio, in turn, employ a set of ruffians called 
" promoters," who promote the king's cause by swearing to any and every 
thing which tlie lawyers wish tliem to. 

Many years ago a law was passed forbidding the nobles to keep any 
retainers or private soldiers in uniform. But the nobles have many house- 
hold servants. The Earl of ISTorthumberland has a treasurer, a chamber- 
lain, chaplain, constables, and others — one hundred and sixty -six in all. 
The Earl of Oxford has a great many dependants, who live on his estates. 
One day the king pays the earl a visit. It is a grand occasion. The earl 
provides a magnificent banquet, and summons all the people who live on 
his estates to come and honor the king. He dresses them in uniform. 
The king notices it. 

"Ah, here is a chance to make some tnoney," is the thought that comes 
to the king. 

" These are your menial servants, I suppose ?" he says to the earl. 



A BOY WHO OBJECTED TO MARRYING HIS BROTHER'S WIDOW. 145 



" Most of them are mj retainers, who have come to do you honor." 

" By my faith, 1 thank you for your good cheer ; but I cannot allow 
you to break the law. My lawyers must speak to you." 

The lawyers do speak to him, and the earl is compelled to pay an 
immense sum, or be cast into prison. lie feasts the king, and is robbed 
besides. 

Lord Bergavenny has some servants whom the Star-chamber declare 
are retainers, and he has to pay three hundred and tifty tliousand dollars 
to the king. 

Henry is a friend to the Pope. He loves money, but gives liberally 
to the Church. Out west of London is Westminster Abbey, founded by 
Edward the Confessor, as long ago as 1060. The place where it stands 
was once a swamp in the woods ; but years before Edward's time, no one 
knows when, the monks reared a building there, and adopted Peter aa 
their patron saint. There was a clear spring of water near by. They 
could catch fish in the Thames. They 
were near enough to London to gt 
out with their bread-bags, to beg thei] 
living in the town. 

On the Sunday night before the 
day which had been fixed upon b^ 
the bishop for the dedication of the 
monastery, a fisherman by the name 
of Edi'ic was out on 
the Thames, when he 
saw a light and heard 
an old man calling 
to him, wanting to 
know if he could 
ferry him across the 
stream. It was Sun- 
day, but Edric was 
ready to do the 
stranger a favor, and 
rowed him across. 
The venerable man 
went on to the monastery, when suddenly a host of angels made their 
appearance. The church was instantly as bright within as if a thousand 
candles had been lighted, and the stranger and the angels dedicated it 
with imposing ceremonies. 

10 




W^ESTMINSTER ABBEY. 



146 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



Tlie fisherman was 
g-reatlj astonished, but 
soon the stranger came 
back. 

" Can you give me 
something to eat ?" he 
asked of the fisher- 
man. 

" I have been fishing 
^^1 all night, but have caught 
nothing." 

Then tlie stranger 
told who lie was. 

" I am St. Peter, and 
have control of the keys 
of heaven. When the 
bishop con^.es to conse- 
crate tlie church, tell him 
what jou have seen, and 
as for yourself, go out 
into the river, and 3"on 
will catch all the fish 
you want. I have grant- 
ed this on the conditions 
that you never again fish on Sunday, and that you always give a portion 
of what you catch to the monks." 

The next day the bishop came to dedicate the monaster}^, but there, at 
the door, stands the fisherman with a salmon — a present from St. Peter to 
the bishop, who heard Edric's storj^, and was satisfied that St. Peter had 
already dedicated the building, and there was no need that he should do 
it. So from that time on the fisherman supplied the monks with fish. 

Edward the Confessor, King of England, was very religious. He was 
ever ready to do something for the Church, to secure an enti-ance into 
heaven, and selected this little monastery as one which should have liis 
special patronage. He contributed a large sum of money, and set archi- 
tects and masons to work to rear an abbey. It was the beginning of the 
most beautiful edifice in England. 

One king after another added to Edward's building, till there arose a 
great pile — almost a city by itself — Westminster Abbey, Chapter-house, 
St. Margaret's Church, Hall Palace, clock -towers, infirmary, cloisters, ab- 




SHKINE OF KDWAKU THE CUNFESSOK. 



A BOY WHO OBJECTED TO MARRYING HIS BROTHER'S WIDOW. 147 

bot's house, prior's house, sanctuary, granary, and other buildings. The 
kings spent their money freely, employing architects and masons, who ham- 
mered away at the stones, making elaborate adormnents, spending such 
enormous sums of money that the House of Comtnons protested against 
expenditures so lavish. That did not stop the work from going on, how- 
ever, and year by year additions were made, not oidy to Westminster, but 
to other abbeys, till, through the exactions of the kings, and the extortions 
of the priests, moidvS, and friars, a lai'ge part of the earnings of the people 
was swallowed up by the Church, either in the erection of buildings or the 
support of the great swarm of prelates. 

Of all the abbeys and monasteries in England, Westminster is the most 
renowned. Gracefully the Gothic arches rise, springing from the massive 
pillars bending like the interlacing branches of the forest trees. The mel- 
low sunlight streams in through gorgeously painted windows, throwing a 
flood of golden, purple, and crimson light upon the long-drawn aisles, the 




NORTH AMBULATORY AND CHANTRY. 



oaken seats, the elaborately carved work of the choir, where the priests 
chant the service, robed in white; figures of saints and angels — carved 
in the endurins: stone— entwined with vlues and flowers. Beneath the 



14S 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



abbey is the crvpt, where, in niches, the kings and queens of England are 
entombed. Ahjiig the walls of the abbey are tablets and shrines erected 
to the memory of men wdio were mightier than kings — the poets, the men 
who have reigned in the realm of mind. 

Upon the stony pavement of the cloisters the monks of Westminster 
knelt and said their prayers, for religion in those days consisted mainly 




THK CLOISTJiK. 



in counting beads and saying Pater-nosters — going over the same prayer 
again and again. It did not much affect the heart. It did not recognize 
the rights of man. It consisted in fasting, praying, doing penance, and 
observing all the requirements of the Church. 

The kings of England delighted to add to the attractions of West- 
minster. Quite likely the abbots and priors were ever i-eady to make sug- 
gestions to the kings in regard to the endowments ; be that as it may, it is 




HENRY VII. S CHAFEL. 



A BOY WHO OBJECTED TO MARRYING HIS BROTHER'S WIDOW. 151 

cei'taiii that the kings, one after another, made liberal contributions for the 
support of the abbey, and for the addition of something new and atti'ac- 
tive in or about the building. Henry VII. plundei'ed his subjects to ob- 
tain money to give to the Church. lie decided to build a chapel which 
should be the most magnificent of any in England. An army of masons 
were employed to hannner the stone, and the skilful builders to lay them 
in the walls. But it was the people, and not the king, who paid the bills 
for quai'rying the stone, hammering the blocks, chiselling the beautiful 




T~~^ ^ 

SCDLI'TtlRK ON THK WALL IN THE AUBliV. 



and inti-icate scroll-work and tracery of vines, leaves, and flowers. Quite 
likely the idea never occurred to the king that the building, by good 
rights, belonged to the people, from whom he wrenched the money by 
taxation and by the tyranny of the Star-chamber; and the monks, the 
bishops, and prelates of the Church would have lifted their hands in horror 
had any one suggested such an idea. But the time was approaching when 
people would begin to entertain the idea that the king's property was in 
reality their own property; and there was a little boy — Henry's son— then 
playing around the king's palace at Hampton Court and at Windsor, who 
would unwittingly help on such an idea. By -and -by we shall see the 



152 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



boy ; but for the present we will make tlie acquaintance of the boy's older 
brother, Arthur. 

When Arthur is only three years of age, the king looks around to see 
whom the boy shall marry, and selects the little girl w^lio was playing in 
the Alhambra on that day when Columbus stood there, making his last 
earnest plea to Ferdinand and Isabella for aid to enable him to reach 

the east by sailing west. He is 
good at driving a bargain, and per- 
suades Ferdiuand to give his daugh- 
ter a handsome dowry. Arthur is 
three and Katherine live when the 
betrothal is made. 

On the 2d of October, 1501, 
when Katherine is sixteen and Ar- 
thur fourteen, Katherine comes to 
England, and they are married. 
Ferdinand pays two hundred thou- 
sand ducats in gold as a part of her 
dowry. But in the next April, Ar- 
thur suddenly dies. What shall be 
done now? Henry VII. loves money. 
If Katherine goes back to Spain, he 
will have to give up the two hun- 
dred thousand ducats. There is his 
younger son, Henry, twelve years old; he will betroth him to Katherine, 
and so hold on to the money. But the Bible says, in Leviticus, that a man 
must not marry his brother's widow. The Archbishop of Canterbury says 
that such a marriage would be wrong ; but the Bishop of Winchester says 
it was a law binding on the Jews, and not on Christians. Henry will 
see what the head of the Church of Home says. The Pope is at M-ar 
with Louis XII., King of France, and would like to have the King of Eng- 
land for an ally, and grants the desired permission. Being the head of 
the Church, no one can object to his decision ; and as he is infallible, the 
decision is right, no matter what command there may be in Leviticus to 
the contrary. 

The betrothal between Henry and Katherine takes place at the house 
of the Archbishop of Salisbury, in Fleet Street, June 3d, 1503. The boy 
Henry objects to being betrothed — not because Katherine is eight years 
older than himself, not because she is his sister-in-law, but because he has 
not been consulted, and because he is under age. Let us not forget it, 




KATHEKINE. 



1,1, I 



ll' l\ 




A BOY WHO OBJECTED TO MARRYING HIS BROTHER'S WIDOW. 155 



for we shall see great events come to pass tlirongh this objection. Henry 
does not make the objection because he does not love Katherine, for he 
does like her, and is willing, notwithstanding his objection, to have the 
betrothal go on. It is not the boy, but the selfish, money-making, prudent 
king, who, though he has obtained the Pope's permission for the marriage, 
thinks it worth while to provide a loop-hole through which he can crawl 
if it shall be for his interest so to do by-and-by. Henry will not be of 
age these six years, and no one knows what may happen in that time. If 
the boy objects to the betrothal, he can make that an excuse, if need be, 
for not consummating the marriage when he becomes of age. 

The king has a daughter, Margaret, older than Henry, who is married 
to King James of Scotland. It is a long joui-ney which the young lady 
has to make on horseback from London to Edinbur<2;h. She does not ffo 
alone, however, but is accompanied by a party of high-born ladies and 
gentlemen. 

One night the royal cavalcade stops at a house owned by the Archbishop 
of York, near the little old town of Scrooby, where the river Idle winda 
through the meadows, turning and 
winding as if trying to tie itself 
in a knot. Myriads of ducks rear 
their young in the reeds along the 
river- banks. The archbishop has 
built a manor-house, in which he 
can reside, and enjoy himself while 
hunting, fowling, and fishing. It 
is an old building, partly of wood, 
partly of brick, with a great hall, 
and kitchen with a wide-mouthed 
fireplace, where the cook gets up 
grand dinners for the archbishop 
and his friends. In the old house, 
Margaret and her maids, the lords 
and ladies, rest and refresh them- 
selves and spend the night. 

The old Scrooby church rears its tower aloft near at hand. Lot us 
take a good look at the manor-house — at the spacious kitchen, at the din- 
ing- hall with its massive table, the stag -horns nailed upon tlie oaken 
beams; for we shall come back to the mansion asiain and again as the 
years roll b\ 
and women who ha\e done great things for liberty. 




MARGARET. 



We shall see gathered around the hearth-stone some men 



156 



THE STORY OF LIBERIT. 



Margaret, after a night's entertainment, rides on to become Queen of 
Scotland, holding her court in Ilolyrood. We shall see her gi-anddaugli- 
ter (Mary by name) in that palace, leading a life filled with many vicissi- 
tudes, Queen of Scotland, of France, 
yet meeting with a sad and mourn- 
ful fate — having her head chopped 
off by the daughter of this boy who 
objects to being married to Kath- 
erine. It will not be Katlierine's 
daughter, however, who will do the 
bloody act ; but we shall see Kath- 
erine's daughter kindling fires all 
over England, burning heretics, just 
as Isabella, Katherine's mother, with 
the aid of Thomas de Torquemada, 
is roasting them in Spain ; all of 
which are events inseparably con- 
nected with the .Story of Liberty. 

Six years pass. The king, who 
compelled the merchants of Bristol 
to promise to give him one-fifth of 
the money they might make, the man 
who did so much to beautify and 
adorn Westminster, is dead, and his 
body, encased in a stone coffin, is 
laid away beneath the pavement of 
the abbey ; and his son, Henry VIII., is crowned king in the magnificent 
edifice, seated in the coronation chair. He is eighteen years of age, tall 
and stout. He has a round face, a fresh countenance. Although he ob- 
jected to being betrothed to Katherine, he is ready to fulfil his obligations ; 
for Katherine, a true-hearted and loving lady, has been waiting for him 
through all the years. The marriage ceremony is performed by the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury, who, six years ago, said that such a marriage would 
be conti-ary to the Bible, but who now eats his own words, because the 
Pope has granted permission. In the next chapter we shall make the 
acquaintance of the man who gave permission for the marriage to take 
place. 

Although Katherine is twenty-six years old, she is a beautiful bride, 
and does not seem to be much older than Henry as she stands before the 
archbishop in Westminster, her dark hair hanging loose and flowing upon 




COFFINS OF JAMES I., ELIZABETH OF YORK, 
AND HENRY VII., AS SEEN ON OPENING THE 
VAULT IN 1869. 



A BOY WHO OBJECTED TO MARRYING HIS BROTHER'S WIDOW. 157 



}iei- shoulders. She looks lovingly upon the round-faced young man who 
stands l)y her side. 

Henry has a sister Mary who is only fourteen, and she is in love with 
her cousin, Charles Brandon; but Henry will not have any such love- 
match, when the King of FraTice wants her for a wife. The King of 
France is the same Louis XII. who was divorced from his first wife that 
he might marry Anne of Bretagne, who is now dead ; he is old enongh to 
be Mary's grandfather— weak and feeble, and afflicted with dropsy — and 
vet the poor girl must give up her true-love and marry him, because 
Henry wants to make an alliance with France to strengthen his kingdom. 

Girls who are born princesses are not often permitted to marry those 
whom they love. Mary never has seen Louis. She goes on board a sliip 
in the Thames. Henry and Katherine and the noblemen come to bid her 
farewell. There is a great 
display of rich dresses and 
costly jewels. It is a gala- 
day in London. The shops 
are closed ; the king gives a 
feast ; and everybody is hap- 
py, except the young girl who 
is bidding good-bye to Eng- 
land, good-bye to her lover, 
to 2:0 to France and be the 
wife of a man just ready to 
drop into the grave. But 
she does not bid farewell to 
her lover, for Charles Bran- 
don goes with her to France, 
an officer of the court ; and, 
though in love with Mary, he 
conducts himself discreetly. 

Mary does not go alone. 
It would be cruel to send her 
away with no one to keep her 
companj'. Twelve English maidens accompany her. One is a pretty, 
sprightly girl, seven years old, Anne Boleyn, who can speak French. Iler 
father is of French descent. 

Little does the young king mistrust, as he sees the beautiful girl Anne 
on the deck of the ship, as to what lies before them both in the unseen 
future. Little dues the light-hearted girl dream of what time will bring 




HliNRY VIII. 



158 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



to tliera. If she could but lift the veil that hides the coining years, in- 
stead of being so joyful on this gala-day, she would stand pale and wan 

as a gliost amidst the happy throng. 
What would she discover? We will 
wait and see what time will unfold. 

The ships sail down the Thames 
and out upon the sea. Tlie waves 
are conti'ary. They dash over the 
vessels, wdiich dance like cockle-shells 
before the tempest. Mary and Anne 
and all the other girls are drenched 
by the waves. Thej^ fear that the 
ship will go to the bottom, and have 
a narrow escape from shipwreck. 
Their trunks are on another ship, 
M'hich is lost; and though they reach 
the shore in safety, they have no dr\' 
clothes, and are forced to put on such garments as the peasants can lend 
them. It is a sorrj^ journey for Mary, this going to be the wife of an old 
man whom she has never seen. AVhat all this had to do with the Story 
of Liberty we shall see before long. 




CORONATION CHAIR. 



i'HE MAN WHO CAN DO NO WKONG. 159 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE MAN WHO CAN DO NO WRONG. 

THE Pope who granted peruiission for Katlierine and Henry to marry 
is in his palace in Rome. His papal name is Alexander YI. His 
father's name was Langolo. He lived in A^alencia, Spain, where the Pope 
was born, and where he was christened Roderick, . During his boyhood, 
his father moves to Venice — the city in the midst of the sea — where he 
changes his name to Boigia. 

He educated Roderick to be a lawyer; bnt the boy's uncle is a bishop, 
and can help him on in the Church, and so Roderick, at the age of nine- 
teen, becomes a priest. Being in the priesthood, he ought to be a good 
man ; but he leads a very wicked life. 

In the course of time the uncle is elected Pope. He does not forget 
the nephew, whom he appoints a cardinal, with a large income — not less 
than twenty-eight thousand ducats per annum. From whence does the 
money come ? From the people, who must pay their money into the 
Church, or be regarded as heretics. 

The young cardinal lays his plans for the future. His uncle is an old 
man, and Roderick is determined, at his death, to step into his shoes as 
Pope. With so much wealth he can give grand dinners, and win the 
favor of the cardinals, who elect a new Pope whenever there is a va- 
cancy. 

It is only three years that he has to wait for his uncle to die. He has 
little difficulty in persuading a majority of the cardinals to vote for him. 
Does he not make great promises as to what he wull do for them ? Twen- 
ty-two vote for him, while only five oppose him. 

On August 11th, 1492, at the time Christopher Columbus is sailing 
westward over an unknown sea, Roderick Langolo Borgia is carried into 
the papal palace on the shoulders of tlie people, followed by the cardinals 
who have elected him. 

" He is a bad man, as you will find out," say the cardinals to those 
who have ariven Cardinal Borgia their votes. 



160 



THE STORY OF LTBEUTY. 




THK POPE IN HIS PALACE. 



" He will hand over all Christendom to the devil," remarks Fei-dinand 
of Spain, who knows the family. 

The new Pope loves display. He puts on costly robes, adorned with 
precious jewels, and is borne into St. Peter's in great state, seated in a 
golden chair, on a litter resting on the shoulders of his obedient subjects. 



THE MAN WHO CAN DO NO WRONG. 



161 



Now that Koderick is Pope, having all power on earth, incapable of 
doing anything wrong, he brings his children and their mother into the 
papal palace. He is a priest, and it is not lawful for a priest to marry ; 
but though no marriage ceremony has been performed, the woman lives 
with him as if she were his wife. 




THK POPE GOING TO ST. PETER S. 
6 



162 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



The cardinals wlioin lie promised to reward come to receive their gifts, 
but the Pope laughs in their faces ; he does not remember of ever having 
promised them anything. Some of them are pertinacious in their de- 
mands, and he imprisons them in St. Angelo. Two of the prisoners are; 
especially obnoxious to the Fope ; they are suddenly seized with a ter- 
rible sickness that results in death, and the physicians who attend them. 




CiESAR BOKGIA. 



when questioned in regard to their sickness, whisper an ominous word — 
poison ! People say that the Pope knows who put poison in the cardinals 
food. 

People all over the world are contributing their money to the ChurclL 
It is flowing into the papal treasury from England, Germany, France, 
Spain, and Italy ; and the Pope, the woman who lives with him, and their 
children, help themselves liberally from the bountiful supply. 




THE CARDINALS. 



THE MAN WHO CAN DO NO WRONG. 



165 



But the Pope wants something besides money for his children ; he 
desires to have them numbered among princes. Frederick is the eldest, 
and the Pope persuades Ferdinand of Spain to make the young man a 
duke. The second son, Caesar, the Pope appoints Archbishop of Valencia 
— the richest bishopric in Spain. We shall presently see what sort of a 
man he is, to occupy such a position in the Church. 

The third son is Ludovico, who is created a cardinal, and who receives 
a fortune from the papal treasury. 

The youngest son, Godfrey, is created a baron, and is provided with a 
fortune. 

The Pope has one daughter, Lucretia, a beautiful girl, who is already 
married to a Spanish nobleman ; but the father wishes to advance her to 
a higher position, and divorces her 
from her husband, and gives her 
in marriage to Lord Sforza. 

The wedding is celebrated with 
much pomp in the papal palace. 
The cardinals, archbishops, and 
bishops are there in their gorgeous 
robes, and a banquet is served of 
the choicest viands and wines. 

Some of the rich and old fam- 
ilies of Rome, who claim to be de- 
scended from the nobles of the 
time of Julius Caesar, show their 
contempt for such a Pope. One 
of the families is the Colonna. 
One of the noblest and best wom- 
en of the time is Vittoria Colonna, who will not attend the Pope's ban- 
quets, nor recognize the Pope in any way, asserting her individual inde- 
pendence and liberty. 

The Pope resolves to be revenged. He will let the noble families know 
that he has all power on earth. He confiscates their estates, appropriates 
them to his own use, or bestows them upon his children. To Frederick, 
the eldest, he gives a large sum, which arouses the anger and jealousy of 
Archbishop Caesar Borgia. 

One morning some fishermen find the body of Duke Frederick floating 
in the Tiber, with nine wounds in the breast. 

" This is your work," the Pope says to Archbishop Caesar. 

" No, I did not kill him," the archbishop replies. 

11* 




VITTORIA COLONNA. 



166 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



" But you had him assassinated." 
The archbishop does not deny it. 

What shall the Pope do? Shall the archbishop be hanged, or shall 
he be imprisoned ? Assassination is a terrible crime, especially when com- 
mitted by one of the highest prelates of the Church. Shall not Caesar be 
at once degraded from his archbishopric ? No. The Pope pardons him 
instead, and the assassin goes on absolving people from their sins, and en- 
joying all the wealth and honor and power of his position. 

But Caesar is tired of being a priest, and the Pope releases him from 
his vows, for he has other plans in view for him. Now that he can marry, 
the Pope demands of the King of Naples the hand of his daughter in mar- 
riage with Ca3sar. The king refuses. The Pope resolves to have his re- 
venge, and he looks around to see 
how it can be gratified. He re- 
members that the French king, 
Louis XII., for a long while has 
laid claim to the kingdom of Na- 
ples, and also to the dukedom of 
Milan. Louis is married to a 
woman whom he hates, and from 
whom he would like to be divorced, 
so that he can marry Anne of 
Bretagne. The Pope sends an 
ambassador to Paris, with a prop- 
ositioTi : If Louis will pay him 
thirty thousand ducats, and endow 
Ca3sar with two provinces in Dau- 
phine which will ^deld twenty 
thousand livres a year, and make Ca^sai- a duke, and marry him to Char- 
lotte d'Albret, the beautiful daughter of a French count, he will issue a 
bull taking the crown fi-om the King of Naples and giving it to Louis, 
and will support his claims to Milan, 

As the Pope has the right to give away crowns and depose kings, Louis 
accepts the proposition. The Pope deci-ees the dissolution of Louis's mar- 
riage contract, and issues a bull taking the crown from the King of Naples 
and giving it to Louis, who at once sets his armies in motion to take pos- 
session. It is the beginning of a war in which many hundred thousand 
men lose their lives, towns and cities are destroyed, and the land made 
desolate. 

Lucretia is tired of her husband, Lord Sforza, and the Pope can see a 




LUCRKTIA BORGIA. 




illlllllli nlillllllllllilllliilll 



THE MAN WHO CAN DO NO WRONG. 169 

-chance to marry her again, and so divorces her from Sforza, and marries 
her to Duke Alfonzo of Naples. He soon discovers, however, though he 
is infallible, and can make no mistake in anything, that Alfonzo is a poor 
fellow, whom he must get rid of. Lucretia has been divorced so many 
times that it will hardly do to issue another divorce so soon after her mar- 
riage. There are assassins in Rome, and if Lucretia's husband should hap- 
pen to disappear some night, it would only be such a fate as falls to other 
men. Singularly enough, one evening, when Alfonzo is walking through 
St. Peter's, an assassin stabs him. It is not a mortal wound ; but on 
another day some ruffians steal into the chamber of the wounded man, 
and finish him by strangulation, and the Pope knows who the ruffians are, 
and it is whispered that he hired them to put Lucretia's husband out of 
the way. 

During these years the Spaniards have discovered a new world in the 
West, while the Portuguese have sailed down the coast of Africa, discov- 
ered the Cape of Good Hope, and opened a new way to the East ; and the 
Pope gives America to Spain, and the eastern lands to Portugal. 

Being God's vicar on earth, being above all kings and emperors, able 
to give away crowns, to alienate subjects from their sovereigns, compel- 
ling potentates and all in authority to kiss his feet, owning all the world, 
he can give away the Western continent to whomsoever he will, as if it 
were but a bit of land which he had always owned, and no one may 
•question his authority. 

The Pope loves wine, and drinks so much that his eyelids grow heavy ; 
he falls asleep in his chair and rolls upon the floor, but the business of the 
papacy goes on just the same, for Lucretia opens his letters, issues orders 
to the Holy Office, to the cardinals, and bishops. 

The Pope is fond of Lucretia, and wants to see her married once more, 
and finds a husband in the Duke of Ferrara. 

Some of the princes of Italy combine against the Pope, who finds out 
what is going on. He soothes them with honeyed words, and invites them 
to a banquet. While they are at supper, a band of assassins breaks into 
the hall. The Pope and Csesar slip out of a side door, while the assassins 
fall upon the princes and put three of them to death. The others make 
their escape. 

The Pope is in need of money ; and as the men are dead, he confiscates 
their estates ; and as the others have leagued against them, he throws them 
into prison and seizes their property. 

All the while there is a great show of religion in Rome. The priests 

go every day in procession to the churches, wearing robes embroidered 

6* 



170 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



with crosses; after they liave performed mass, they s})end the remainder 
of the time in idleness, or in something worse. 

There comes a night in August, 1503. The Pope has invited nine of 
the cardinals to a banquet. He has a little scheme which he wishes to 
carry out : he wants to make Caesar king. To do that he must have more 
money ; and though the people all over the world are paying him Peter's- 
pence and purchasing indulgences, the gold does not come in as fast as 
he would like. If lie could only create a few cardinals, he would be in 




THK PRIi;STS PROCESSION. 



funds, for he can sell a cardinal's office for thirty thousand ducats. If 
the nine cardinals would only die, he could reap a rich harvest — more 
than two hundred thousand ducats — by selling their offices! With such 
an amount of money, he could carry on war, conquer cities, and make 
Caesar king. 

Caesar prepares the banquet in the garden of the Vatican. It will be- 
delightful for the old cardinals to sit there in an arbor on a summer night 
and quaff their wine. He will have a particular kind of wine for them — 
one cup, which none but the nine shall drink. He prepares it himself, and 
gives it into the hands of a trusty waiter. 



THE MAN WHO CAN DO NO WRONG. 171 

" Let no one drink of this except the cardinals : it is for them alone. 
Be careful now," he says to the servant. 

The servant carries the flagon into the arbor. 

" Why do you put that goblet by itself ?" asks the vintner who has 
charge of the wine. 

" It is very choice wine. Only the cardinals are to drink it." 

The Pope and Caesar enter the arbor, and the cardinals will soon be 
there. The Pope discovers that he has forgotten to put his charm upon 
his neck. It is a precious affair — a gold locket, with a crumb of holy 
bread in it. A fortune-teller has assured him that so long as he wears it 
no harm can come to him. 

" Run and get it ; you will find it on my table," he says to the servant 
who has brought in the flagon of choice wine. 

The servant hastens away. 

" I am very thirsty. I will take a glass of wine, if you please," he 
says to the vintner. 

Is there any wine too good for the Pope ? The vintner thinks not. 
He will give him some of the choice vintage which is reserved for the fa- 
vored few, and brings a glass for the Pope, and anotlier for Csesar. 

The cardinals come, and the Pope and Csesar receive them graciously, 
and all take their seats at the table. 

But suddenly the Pope utters a piercing cry, and rolls upon the ground. 
He is in terrible agony ; and Csesar is also seized with excruciating pains. 

There is running here and there for doctors, who come in hot haste. 

" Poison !" 

They have drunk the wine which was prepared for the cardinals. 
Caesar recovers, but the Pope is burning up. There is a fire in his bones. 
His flesh grows putrid ; his tongue becomes black, and hangs from his 
mouth ; ulcers break out upon his body, which swells to enormous size. 
His servants flee. There is no one to care for him. Alone in his cham- 
ber, he groans till death relieves his sufferings. 



172 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE BOY WHO SUNG FOR HIS BREAKFAST. 

ON" that day when Christopher Cohimbus went out from the Alham- 
bra, sad and dejected, there was a little boy in a town in Ger- 
many who was experiencing a sorrowful childhood. He was born on St. 
Martin's Day, 1483, and his parents have christened him Martin. They 
are very poor. The father is a miner, aud works hard in digging copper 
ore and smelting it. The faniilj' have little to eat better than rye bread 
and herrings, 

Martin's father is a passionate man, and his mother is a stern woman. 
His school-master is hard-hearted and cruel ; and between the three the 
boy gets many whippings. His lessons are dry as dust — the Catechism, 
Ten Commandments, Apostles' Creed, the Canticles, Psalms, and Latin ex- 
ercises. One day the brute of a master punishes him not less than fif- 
teen times! There is no joy in life. He hates the Catechism and the 
Creed, but makes good progress in Latin, The miner has sense enough 
to see that Martin can learn very little in such a school, and sends him to 
another, taught by monks, called a currend school. The boys attending it 
sing in the churches on Sunday, and go through the villages early every 
morning, and sing before the burghers' houses for a bit of bread. They 
carry little tin boxes with a slit in the cover, and the burghers' now and 
then drop in money. At times Martin obtains neither money nor bread. 
On Christmas mornings the boys go out early, Martin singing the solos, 
and the others joining in the choruses. The solo rises, sweet and clear, 
upon the wintry air: 

" Praises now from all on earth ' 

'Tis the day of Jesus' birth, 

Of a Virgin born in sooth ; 

Angels glory o'er the youth. 

Kyrie eleeson. 

" Only child of God's own kind 
In a manger shepherds find ; 



THE BOY WHO SUNG FOR HIS BREAKFAST. 



173 



God-babe sent our sins to free 
By suft''ring our humanity. 
Kyrie eleesoji." 

But it is not alwa3's Christmas, and there are days when the boys have 
little to eat. Martin often has only a crust. He grows thin and pale and 
weak. What shall he do ? His father is so poor that he cannot help him ; 
the monks have noth- 
ing to give him, and 
if the burghers do 
not supply him with 
food, he must starve. 

There comes a 
cold and bitter morn- 
ing. Martin goes out 
to sing through the 
streets, but the burgh- 
ers do not like to be 
awakened so early, l| 
and the servants are fi 
surly. He sings be- 
fore a house. 

"Go away!" 

It is a gruff voice 
that he hears, and ho 
passes on to anoth- 
er residence ; but as 
soon as he begins to 
sing, the door opens, 
and a man's head is 
thrust out. 

" Clear out there ! 
Don't you know bet- 
ter than to disturb 
the master so early ?" 

He will get noth- 
ing there, and moves 

I'll ''^^^ EARLY MORNING CHANT AT EISENACH. 

on to a third house 

and sings; but before the carol is finished a servant comes out with a whip. 

" Begone, you ragamuffin !" 

Charity is frozen on this winter morning. Weak, faint, hungry, dis- 




174 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



heartened, he turns away. What shall he do ? Why should he sing ? 
No one will give him bread. 

" I may as well go back to the convent and die," he says to himself. 
He is standing before Conrad Cotta's house. The owner is a rich 
burgher. No one is astir about the premises that he can see. The 
daylight is streaming up the east, and the burghers of the town will 

soon be eating their 
breakfasts ; then 
they will be off to 
their shops. Oh, if 
he but once in life 
could eat all that he 
wanted ! 

Shall he sing? 
Herr Cotta is 
one of the chief men 
of the town ; will 
he not rush out and 
whip him ? The 
tears roll down the 
boy's cheeks as he 
stands there, irreso- 
lute. 

Sing, boy ! sing ! 
The ages are wait- 
ing for you. Sing ! 
sing! All the world 
will hear you. God 
knows what will 
(u)me of it. 

Sweet and clear, 
liis voice rises on the 
morning air. The 
door opens, and Ur- 
sula Cotta stands 
upon the threshold 
beckoning to him. 

Little does Ursula Cotta know what will come from that lifting of 
her hand. She has seen the poor boy driven from the neighbors' houses, 
and the harsh words addressed to him have filled her with pain. She has 




URSULA COTTA AND MAKTIN LUTHER. 



THE BOY WHO SUNG FOR HIS BREAKFAST. 



175 



seen him on Sunday, and has recognized his voice as being sweeter than 
all other voices in the choir. She will give him a good meal. He 
goes up the steps. She takes him by the hand, leads him into the house. 
He goes to a warm breakfast and a home ; henceforth Ursula Cotta will 
l)e a mother to him. Now he can go to school and study all day, sleep 
sweetly at niglit, and have all he can eat at breakfast, dinner, and supper. 
The scowl disappears from his face. He is no longer dogged and sullen, 




THE students' FESTIVAL. 

but bubbling over with joy; and in a short time, so diligently does he 
apply himself, that he is fitted to enter the university, whei-e he mastera 
the Latin language, till he can speak it as fluently as his mother-tongue. 

One day, while in tlie university library looking at the books, he comes 
upon an old volume into which none of the students or monks ever look. 
He brushes the dust from the covers, opens to the title-page, and sees 



176 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



that it is the Bible. He has heard of the book, but never before has he- 
seen a copy. It is in Latin. He turns the leaves, but liis eye falls upon 
an interesting story about a boy who tended the lamps in the sanctuary 
on the green hills of Shiloh. Never has he read so interesting a story. 
^ ^ Of all books in the 



library none are so 
entertaining as this. 
He reads the volume 
at every leisure mo- 
ment. The other stu- 
dents spend much 
time in celebrating 
festivals, marching 
through the streets ; 
but he has no time 
for play, and even on 
holidays, when all 
the inhal)itants turn 
out and decorate the 
streets, he is busy 
with his books. He 
is thirsting for knowl- 
edge, and makes such 
progress in his stud- 
ies that before he is 
twenty -seven years 
old he is made a 
doctor of philosophy; 
and liis fellow -stu- 
dents, proud of their 
young doctor, make 
a grand parade, con- 
duct him to the hall 
of the university, and 
install him as their 




THE AUGUSTINE FRIARS. 



teacher, with appropriate ceremonies, in his professor's chair. 

And now, instead of reciting creeds and catechisms, he is giving lect- 
ures, and is so earnest and eloquent that students come from far to listen 
to his teaching. There comes a night when he invites all the students to 
take supper with him. They drink his health in foaming mugs of beer.. 



THE BOY WHO SUNG FOR HIS BREAKFAST. 177 

He rises to make a speech. They hurrah and clap their hands. But 
never have they seen the young doctor so sober. He informs them that 
it is the last time they will meet together. He has decided to resign his 
professorship and become a monk. They are astounded. 

" Become a monk !" 

" Yes." 

" Shut yourself up in a convent, shave your head, go barefoot, and 
wear a hair shirt !" 

" Yes." 

He bids them good-bye, leaves the room, and at midnight knocks at 
the gate of the convent of the Augustine monks. The door turns on its 
hinges, and Doctor Martin Luther passes in, and the door closes upon him. 
Morning comes. The professor's chair in the university is vacant, while 
the professor who has occupied it is kneeling on the cold stone floor of his 
cell, saying his prayers. He is dead to the world, and the world is dead 
to him : he studies ; he spends his time in praying ; he fasts, eating only 
a few morsels of bread ; he grows thin and pale, till he is only skin and 
bones — trying in this way to get rid of his sins. He begs his living. 
Shouldering a bag, he goes through the villages, asking the people for 
bread, cheese, geese, chickens — or anything that will support life. Martin 
before long, however, discovers that the monks, instead of being holier 
than other men, have like passions, and are ready to help themselves to 
the best of the things given them by the people. There are frequent dis- 
putes which the prior has to settle. 

And what do the people receive in return for their gifts ? Nothing. 

12 



178 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER XI. 

WHAT THE BOY WHO SUNG FOR HIS BREAKFAST SAW IN ROME. 

THERE is a dispute between the Augustine monks of Germany and 
the vicar who superintends them. The monks object to some of his 
proceedings. It is a dispute whicli only the Pope — the man who can do 
no wrong — can settle. The monks choose Friar Martin to go to Rome 
and lay the matter before the Pope. Friar Martin is able and eloquent. 
He has i-ead all the works of the fathers, and he, of all others, will best 
plead their cause. Although the journey is a long one, Friar Martin is 
pleased to make it, for Rome is the Eternal City, where dwells the head of 
the Church — the holy man who is God's representative on earth, who can- 
not possibly do anything that is not right. To visit Rome will be like 
going to the very gate of heaven. 

The monks give Brother Martin their blessing and benediction, and he 
starts upon his journey. Although there are thousands of monks tramping 
through Germany — so many that the people compare them to the grass- 
hoppers that eat up their fields of corn — yet they do not refuse him a bit 
of bread-and-cheese, and at the convents he finds good cheer among the 
brothers. He crosses the Rhine ; climbs the Alps, where the shepherds 
are tending their flocks ; passes along deep gorges, where the water tum- 
bles and foams to the lakes below, and where the rocks rise so high, so 
sharp and steep, that at noon it is only twilight. He sees the avalanches 
roll from the mountains with a roar like thunder. Far above him the icy 
peaks gleam in the sunshine. He climbs above the clouds, crosses fields 
of snow, goes over the summit, descends the southern slope, and finds 
himself, as it were, in another world. How pure the air ! How deep and 
tender the light ! A blue haze rests upon the mountains. Fresh and 
green the fields; wide -spreading the chestn ut- trees ; fertile the slopes, 
where the peasants are planting their vineyards. He reaches the plains 
of Italy, and beholds ruins around him — marble pillars, beautifully sculpt- 
ured once, but broken now. The Italian brothers of his order welcome 
him to their monasteries ; but he is surprised to see how luxuriously they 



WHAT THE BOY WHO SUNG FOR HIS BREAKFAST SAW IN ROME. 179 

live. Tliej make themselves merry with wine, sing songs, tell unseemly 
stories, and then rattle off Pater-nosters and masses glibly, to get through 
with them as soon as possible, that they may take another pull at the wine, 
or indulge in other pleasures. 

Italy is an old land, and Friar Martin is well acquainted with its his- 
tory — how the Empire of Rome rose and fell. He gazes upon the sculpt- 




OVER THE MOUNTAINS. 



ured marbles and broken columns, and recalls the time when Rome was 
in her glor), with an empire reaching from India to England. He comes 
to the Cainpagna — the wide plain through which winds the River Tiber. 
He sees the Aqueduct, which the old Romans built to bring water into the 
city from the Albanian hills. And there, in the distance, are the gleam- 
ing spires of the city — the one spot of all others on earth that he has 



180 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



longed to see. He falls on his face and gives thanks to God. " Holy 
Kome ! I salute thee !" he cries, in ecstasy. He passes through the mas- 
sive gate -way, walks with reverent feet the narrow streets, enters the 




churches, one after another, to say his prayers and thank God anew that 
he is in the holy city. He almost wishes that his father and mother were 
not alive ; for if they were dead and in purgatory, what unspeakable pleas- 
ure there would be in obtaining their release by his prayers, which he re- 
peats in every church ! 

How inspiring to stand in the old Forum where, a century before 
Christ was born, Cicero gave utterance to his immortal orations ! The 
past rises before Friar Martin. He sees, in imagination, the audience of 
old Romans listening to Cicero. One of his auditors is Julius Caesar, six 
years younger than the orator : he has led the armies of Rome in triumph 
through Gaul, has crossed the sea to the land of the Angles, where men 
wear skins of beasts for clothing, and where Druids venerate the stately 
oaks, and offer human sacrifices to their deity. 

Another of Cicero's auditors is a general who has led the armies ta 
victory in the East — Pompey — he who profaned the Temple at Jerusalem 
by entering into the most holy place. 



WHAT THE BOY WHO SUNG FOR HIS BREAKFAST SAW IN ROME. 181 

General Cato is another listener — a man with a soul so calm and se- 
rene that nothing disturbs him. 

And still another general is there — Mark Antony — a wild, reckless 
debauchee, who fills Kome with riot and disorder. 

Two poets are in the audience listening to Cicero's eloquence — Virgil 
and Horace, and a historian — Sallust ; tliey are boys. And there is one 
more — Seneca. Friar Martin has read their works ; and there he is upon 
the spot where the poets, perhaps, have recited their own poems to the 
people of old Rome. 

He walks along a street, past the Temple of Jupiter, and comes to the 
Temple of Peace, and looks up to its mighty arches, reared by Vespasian, 
to I'eceive the spoils which he brought from Jerusalem ; and the poor Jews 
whom he brought as prisoners were compelled to work in the clay-pits, 
making bricks for the construction of the edifice commemorative of their 
liumiliation. 

Near by it is the Arch of Titus. AVliat a story in its time-worn stones 




Tllfc: I'LACK AVUEUli CICIiUO DELIVEKKU HIS ORATIONS. 



182 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



— the history of a perishing, and yet imperishable, people ! The Trium- 
phal Arch was erected to glorify the man who thought he had crashed 
them out forever. In the sculptured stones Friar Martin sees the proces- 
sion of Roman soldiei's bringing the silver trumpets, the golden candle- 
stick, the table of showbread — the sacred furniture of the Jewish Temple, 
and escorting the weeping maidens, the stalwart warriors of the conquered 
race, prisoners of war, doomed to hopeless captivity. 

On the hill overlooking the Forum is the Capitol — the once magnifi- 
cent marble palace, with its majestic columns, mosaic pavements, courts, 
and passage-ways, adorned with statues of nymphs, fauns, and satyrs, and 




THK BUILDING WHICH THE JliWS KKECTEJ) 



before which is the statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. From this 
palace once was issued a decree that all the world should be taxed ; and 
so it happened that a poor man in Judea started on a long journey with 
his wife, to give in his name to the tax-assessor, and could find no room in 
the tavern at night, and was forced to lie down in a stable with the cattle, 
where, during the night, a babe was born— babe of all others most wonder- 
ful ! From this palace was issued the order for the beheading of Peter 
and Paul ; and in yonder prison, in a deep, dark dungeon, Paul was con- 
fined. 

It is not the palace of the emperors of Rome, but the places where 



WHAT THE BOY WHO SUNG FOR HIS BREAKFAST SAW IN ROME. 185 

Christian martyrs have suffered, that most attract the attention of Friar 
Martin. It was in the Coliseum that they were torn to pieces by the wild 
beasts, to gratify the heathen populace of Rome. Jewish captives built it, 




THK AKCH OK TITUS. 



and the mortar of the masonry was mixed with their tears. In the arena 
those who would not abjure their faith in Christ were eaten by lions. In 
the great edifice, rising tier above tier, the people looked down upon the 
spectacle — emperor, patrician, plebeian — and not one heart in all the vast 



186 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




THE COLISEUM. 



assembly moved to pity at the sight. What joy to beliold the hated 
Christians tossed to the beasts — to see fair maidens torn in pieces and 
devoured ! 

The thought does not come to Friar Martin that the men who ask 
•questions in Spain, at that very moment are roasting men by the thou- 
sand ; while there were onl}^ a score or two thrown to the lions and tigers 
in the CoKseum. 

Friar Martin finds that the Pope, Julius II., is an old man, with a 
long white beai'd. He sits in a golden chair, wearing gorgeous robes em- 
blazoned with diamonds and jewels. Palm-Sunday comes, and there is a 
grand procession. The Pope bears a silver plate on his breast, on which 
there is a figure of the Almighty. It is of pure gold, surrounded by cost- 
ly pearls. 

The cardinals appear in their red hats, red gown, red stockings, and 
slippers. One of them is known as the " Boy -cardinal." His name is 
John de' Medici. His father lived in Florence, and was very rich. When 
John was only seven years old, his father bought an abbot's oflice for him. 
An abbot had charge of a monastery, and the monks called the boy " their 
father." Quite likely some of them smiled when they thus addressed him. 



WHAT THE BOY WHO SUNG FOR HIS BREAKFAST SAW IN ROME. 187 



When he was fourteen, his father hought a cardinal's office for him, and 
John put on his red hat, slippers, and gown, and became one of the Pope's 
councillors. He owns a villa, and lives in grand style. He loves music, 
painting, sculpture, and poetry. He spends all of his income in giving 
entertainments to his brother -cardinals, and the poets, artists, and musi- 
cians. He sets before them the choicest wines, and all the delicious fruits 
of the season. Sometimes he even pawns his gold and silver dishes to ob- 
tain money enough to give 
a banquet ; for he is think- 
ing that the Pope may not 
live always, and possibly, if 
he is hospitable to his broth- 
er-cardinals and to those 
who influence public opin- 
ion, he may be elected Ju- 
lius's successor. 

In the procession are a 
great number of bishops — 
Armenian, Syrian, Greek, 
and Roman — wearing mag- 
nificent dresses, blazing with 
jewels. The young friar 
from Germany never dream- 
ed that there was such wealth 
in the world as he sees 
around him. 

The Pope's chamberlains 
walk by his side, carrying 
fans made of peacocks' tails. 
The cross-beareis go before, 
bearing huge silver crosses. 
One official carries the triple 
crown, set with costly dia- 
monds and jewels. 

The Pope sits in his gold- 
en chair, on a litter, which is 
taken up by stout men, and 
borne upon their shoulders. 

An officer carries a golden mace — the emblem of authority ; and 
there is a great following of princes, counts, abbots, priests, and monks. 




FAN-UliARKKS. 



188 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



On Corpus Christi Day the Pope is carried around St. Peter's Church, 
seated in his golden chair, with all the prelates of the Church in his train, 

and his body-guard march- 
ing by his side with drawn 
swords — not that anybody 
will harm him, but to add* 
to the pomp and grandeur 
of the occasion. The people 
kneel, and the Pope throws 
a blessing to them from the 
ends of his finders. 

Friar Martin sees won- 
derful things in the churches. 
In one he beholds the Holy 
Baby — a rag doll, which 
performs more cures than 
all the physicians in Rome. 
It is taken to the chambers 
of the sick, and its presence 
heals disease. The people 
w^orship it, offer costly gifts, 
which go — they know not 
to whom. The doll per- 
forms miracles. Men fall- 
ing from the tops of houses 
have called upon the baby 
to save them, and have not 
been harmed. Drowning 
men have called upon it to 
rescue them, and they have 
been saved. A lady fell 
from the roof of a high 
building, and prayed to the 
doll, and the fall was arrested in mid-air. The lady was so grateful for 
her preservation that she gave an immense sum of money to the doll, and 
had a picture painted representing the scene. 

Every church has its holy relics. In one are the boards of the manger 
in which Christ was laid at his birth. He sees the Virgin Mary's cloth- 
ing, one of St. Peter's ribs, a part of John the Baptist's skull, and no end 
of saintly bones — all very precious and holy. 




CAKKYING Tilt: POPES CROWN. 



WHAT THE BOY WHO SUNG FOR HIS BREAKFAST SAW IN ROME. 189 

The people worship the relics, and gaze upon them with reverential 
awe. In St. Peter's Church they form in a long line to kiss the foot of 
St. Peter's statue, which has stood there for many centuries : so many have 
pressed their lips to the great-toe that it is worn to a stub. Some scep- 
tical persons maintain that the statue is not Peter's, but an old heathen 
statue of Jupiter ; that, however, does not diminish the devotion of the 
multitude. 

Julius II., the Pope, is at the head of his army. Ever since his elec- 
tion, in 1506, he has been at war — lighting the Venetians, the Germans, 
and the French, at times ; then, making alliance with the Venetians and 
Germans, he has waged a vigorous war against Louis XII. of France. He 
fights not only in the field, but in the cabinet. He has bribed Henry 
VIII. of England and Ferdinand of Spain to attack France, and has 
taken the money which the good people have contributed to support the 




THK DOLL THAT WOKKS SIIHACLKS. 



Church to pay an army of Swiss, which he has hired to fight against the 
French. He has issued a bull releasing the subjects of Louis from their 
allegiance. 

Just before Friar Martin arrives in Rome, the Pope goes out with his 



190 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



troops to attack the town of Mirandola, accompanied by all the cardinals 
and bishops. His army surrounds the town. The Pope plants the cannon, 
directs the soldiers where to attack, and issues his orders as coramander-in- 




KISSING ST. PKTEK S TOE. 



chief. Day after day the siege goes on. The Pope did not expect such 
a stubborn resistance, but he is only the more determined to conquer; and 
when at last the town surrenders, he climbs a scaling-ladder, sword in 
hand, mounts the wall, followed by his troops, who rush through the 
streets, enter the houses, plunder the people, and commit terrible outrages 
upon the men, women, and children. 

The Pope sends an army to Ravenna, an allied army, composed of 
Spanish, Swiss, Germans, and Venetians, all leagued against the Fi'ench. 
The armies meet on a plain near the city. The French are commanded 
by a young general, Gaston de Foix, who, though he is only thirty years 
old, has w^on many victories. The commander of the Pope's army is John 
de' Medici, the Boy -cardinal, who knows nothing about war, but who 
can give grand entertainments. Thei*e are about thirty-five thousand in 
each army. All day long the battle rages, but when night comes the 
Pope's army is a routed rabble, and the Boy-cardinal a prisoner. Though 



WHAT THE BOY WHO SUNG FOR HIS BREAKFAST SAW IN ROME. 191 

the French have won the victory, their brave leader lies beneath a heap 
of slain. Each army has lost nearly ten thousand men in this conflict, 
vi'hich is only one of many fought on the plains of Italy ; and for w^hat ? 
That the Pope may drive the French out of the provinces which Roderick 
Borgia (Alexander VI.) had given to Louis a few years before. 

Friar Martin did not expect to hear the beating of drums, nor the 
blare of trumpets, neither to behold the Pope marching at the head of his 
troops through the streets of holy Rome. He had thought of the city as 
being, as it were, a suburb of heaven; but he finds it a military town. 
The Pope is such a fighter that the people call him " general." A witty 
man writes a paper which sets everybody to laughing, representing Julius, 
after he is dead, as knocking at the gate of lieaven for admission, 

" Who is there ?" Peter asks, looking down from the top of the wall. 

" Julius." 

"Never heard of you before. What liave you done? Give an account 
of youi'self." 

" I have been fighting for you. I have marched with my armies, 
captured cities. I entered one place sword in hand." 

" That is not satisfactory. I can't let you in." 

" Not let me in, after fighting so bravely ?" 

« No." 

"Why not?" 

" My soldiers fight only with the sword of the Spirit." 

" If you don't let me in, I'll bring up my cannon, and batter down your 
walls, as I did the walls of Mirandola." 

And so, fearing that Julius will be as good as his word, Peter opens 
the gate and lets him in. People say that the learned man of Holland, 
Doctor Erasmus, wrote it; but the doctor will not acknowledge that it 
came from his pen. 

Friar Martin visits one of the churches, that he may say his prayers 
on the marble steps of the holy stairs up which Christ walked when he 
was brought before Pilate in Jerusalem. He kneels upon the lower step 
and says a Pater-noster, for which he will obtain fifty years' release from 
purgatory. He goes up another step, and repeats the prayer. He has 
gained one hundred years. He moves another step, and repeats it. One 
hundred and fifty years has been gained. 

'■^ The just shall live by faiths 

Who spoke ? Was it one of the monks at the foot of the stairs who 
takes money from those who ascend them ? Was it one of the swarm 
of beggars who hold out their hands at the bottom, and also at the top of 



192 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



the stairs ? Was it a fellow-pilgrim ? None of these. Who then ? Friar 
Martin certainly heard a voice. He stops in the middle of the Pater-noster, 

looks aronnd, springs to 
his feet, and goes down 
the steps. 

Many times has he 
read those words, and 
now, like a flash of light- 
ning from a cloudless 
sky, they blaze upon his 
soul. He leaves the 
church, greatly wonder- 
ing, and thinking as he 
never has thought be- 
fore. 

The longer he stays 
in Rome, the more is he 
dissatisfied with what he 
sees. He discovers that 
the Pope, the cardinals, 
bishops, and priests are, 
for the most part, very 
far from being the pure 
men he had supposed 
them to be. The Pope 
is a military chieftain. 
The cardinals are liv- 
ing sensual lives. The 
money which is con- 
tributed by the good people of every land for the Church is squandered 
in riotous living or for the support of armies. It is no longer holy Rome ; 
the city instead is a sink of iniquity. Crime goes unpunished. Men are 
robbed and murdered at noonday. The offices of the Church are bought 
and sold, just as men buy and sell liouses or cattle. The nunneries and 
monasteries, instead of being retreats for prayers, meditation, and holy 
living, are vile places. Cardinals, bishops, priests, monks, and nuns, all 
live upon the treasure contributed by the people, or taken from them by 
tithes, or obtained by the sale of indulgences and pardons. He turns his 
steps homeward, sick at heart with what he has seen. 




HE STAIRS. 



THE 130Y-CAKDINAL. 193 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE BOY-CARDINAL. 

IT is a great day in Rome, the 11th of April, 1513, One of the grandest 
processions ever seen in the city is passing through the streets, escort- 
ing tlie newly elected Pope to St. Peter's, Julius is dead, and the cardi- 
nals have elected as his successor the man who was defeated at Ravenna 
by Gaston de Foix, the man who loves pictures, statues, poetry, and music, 
who gives sumptuous entertainments, and who pawns his silver plate to 
obtain monej' for a grand banquet — the Boy- cardinal, John de' Medici. 
He has had his eye on tlie Pope's chair for a long while, and all of his 
grand dinners have been given with the view of making himself so agree- 
able that M'lien the time should come for electing a new Pope, he would 
step into Julius's shoes. He is no longer to be known as the Boy-cardinal, 
but as Leo X. He is amiable and kind-hearted. He never will mount 
a scaling-ladder, and enter a city swoid in hand ; he will stay in Rome, 
and gather painters, sculptors, and poets around him. He loves their 
society. He loves good dinners and good wine, and drinks so much at 
times that he becomes limber in the legs. His garments glitter with 
diamonds and jewels. He rides a superb horse. Triumphal arches have 
been erected along the streets, marble statues set up, and banners flung 
to the breeze. Bright-eyed gii-ls strew flowers along the way, and the 
multitude kneel as he passes by in his gorgeous coach. In the evening 
Leo gives a magnificent banquet. Since the days of the emperors of old 
Rome, there has been no such feast. The rarest and richest luxui-ies 
are spread upon the tables, and the choicest wine of Italy is drunk from 
golden goblets. 

As soon as the new Pope is seated on his throne he lays his plans 
for the future. He will have a new church edifice — the grandest in 
all Christendom. He will have it adorned with the richest marbles. 
Among the architects whom he employs is Michael Angelo, the greatest 
cf all. 

Fortunately, that gray-bearded man, Christopher Columbus, has disco v- 

13 



194 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



ered a new world, rich in silver and gold, and the wealth of those distant 
lands is beginning to flow to Europe ; while England, France, Spain, Ger- 
many, and Holland are increasing in riches. There are few heretics now, 
for the men who ask questions have roasted nearly all of them to death. 




Till-; I'ori-: s ciiai'IOL. 



The people everywhere love and honor the Pope, and are ready to give 
liberally to enable him to build his great church. He sends the Gospel to 
their very doors, so that everywhere the poor, as well as the rich, can pur- 
chase salvation not only for themselves, but for their friends in purgatory. 
The Pope is very kind and accommodating. He bestows his blessings 
freely — blessing the people, the bells in the churches, even blesses horses ! 



THE BOY- CARDINAL. 



197 



Anybody can secure salvation or buy a blessing. Priests, monks, and 
friars travel up and down the country selling indulgences. 

One of the Pope's agents for the sale of indulgences is a fat friar, with 
a thundering voice— John Tetzel. He is from Leipsic, in Germany, John 
does not give himself to fasting, bnt eats fat meat and drinks good wine. 
He rides in a carriage drawn by three horses. Once he committed a 
crime, and was sewed up in a sack, and was about to be thrown into the 




THE POPE IN HIS CARRIAGE. 



river, but the judge concluded not to put him to death ; and now he is 
carrying the Gospel about the country, with a cavalcade of horsemen to 
escort him and protect him from robbers. 

Just before he enters a town, the sheriff passes through the streets with 
a trumpeter. The people hear the sounding of the trumpet, and rush out 
from their houses to see Mhat is going on. 

" The grace of God and St. Peter is before your gates," shouts the 
sheriif. 

The good news spreads. The Gospel has come. Now they can pur- 
chase salvation, and release their friends from the pains of purgatory. 



198 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



The people form in pi-ocession, tlie priests leading. Then come the school- 
children, the monks, friars, and nuns, and a great number of citizens carry- 
ing banners and lighted candles. They meet Friar Tetzel, and escort him, 
in his gilded coach, to the church, singing and shouting, for it is a joyful 
day. The procession enters the church, the organ peals, a chant is sung, 
the cross is placed in front of the altar, and the Pope's arms suspended 
upon it. Tetzel takes his position in the pulpit. 

" Come, friends, and buy my pardons, buy my indulgences. You can 




BLESSING HORSES. 



release your friends from purgatory. Do you not hear them say, ' We are 
enduring horrible torments V A small sum will deliver them." 

The people shudder at the words. Their friends in purgatory ! They 
will release them at once. 

" The very instant the money chinks in the box their souls will fly 
toward heaven," says Tetzel. 

But there are some who do not quite believe all that he says. 

" I will excommunicate all who doubt this blessed grace," he cries. 

To be excommunicated — cut off from the Church — would be terrible, 
and they must doubt no longer. 



THE BOY- CARDINAL. 



201 



" Blessed, my friends, are the eyes which see what you see," and Tet- 
7.e\ holds up the cash-box. " Bring your money ! Bring your money !" 
He drops a piece of silver into the box to set an example of benevo- 

leuco. 

A king, queen, and prince must pay fifty dollars for an indulgence ; 
counts and barons, twenty dollars ; poor people, five dollars ; and if they 
are very poor, they can get one for a less amount. For particular sins 
there are specified prices. If a man has committed murder, he must pay 
a larger sum than he who has committed theft. 

The people flock to the church, and all day long the money is dropping 
into the cash-box. The money not only of Germany, but of all Europe, is 
flowing toward Rome. 

Tetzel travels from town to town, and after a while reaches the city 
of Leipsic. Little does he know of what is before him. A gentleman 
<3omes to buy an indulgence. 

" Can you pardon a sin which a man intends to commit ?" he asks. 
" Certainly ; the Pope has given me full power to do so." 
" Very well. I should like to punish a man a little. I don't want to 
hurt him much— just a little. How much do you ask for an indulgence 
that will hold me harmless, so that I shall not be punished ?" 
" For such a sin I must have thirty dollars." 
" That is too much. I will give ten." 

" No, that is too little. I will let you have one for twenty-five." 
" I can't pay that. I will give fifteen." 
" That is not enough. I will let you have it for twenty." 
" Are you sure that it will protect me ?" 

" Certainly. I should like to know how any harm can come to you. 
It is the Pope's dispensation ; and no one may question my authority." 
" Vei-y well ; here is the money." 

The man takes the indulgence, and goes away ; and Tetzel starts for 
the town of Jiiterbogk. He comes to a forest, when suddenly a party of 
robbers spring from behind the trees. Some of them seize Tetzel and 
pound him, while others ransack the carriage, find the money-box, and all 
:flee to the woods. 

Who are the robbers ? The leader of the band is the man who bought 
the indulgence, and this was the crime that he intended to commit. Tet- 
zel hastens to Duke George, who is Governor of Saxony. 
" 1 have been robbed." 

" I will have the robbers hanged," says the governor, and sends the 
sheriff to arrest them. ^3* 



202 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

The sheriff very soon brings thera before tlie governor. 

" You are accused of robbing," he says to the gentleman who bought 
the indulgence. "What have you to say for yourself?" 

" Tetzel has already pardoned me. This is the crime I intended to 
commit. I paid him twenty dollars for the indulgence. Here it is." 

The governor reads the paper. 

" I don't see as you have any case, Mr. Tetzel." 

The governor cannot send the robber to prison, nor compel him to give 
up the money. To do so would put an end to Mr. Tetzel's business, for it 
would show the people that the indulgences are worthless. Ah, Mr. Tet- 
zel, it would have been better for you not to have taken the road to Jii- 
terbogk, and it would be better for you not to go there to set up your fair; 
but go on, for out of your going will come liberty to the world ! 

Although so many years have passed since Doctor Wicklif's day, the 
people all through Europe are still in slavery. Thej' are taxed by em- 
perors and kings, Pope and priest. They are robbed systematically ; they 
are ignorant and degraded. If a man commits a murder, he can flee to 
the shelter of a church ; or if he can once get inside of a convent door, the 
sheriff cannot arrest him. The civil law, then, is powerless. The bishops 
and priests are, many of them, ready to burn a heretic to death; while 
emperors and kings are autocrats. They do as they please. There is no 
liberty as yet for the people. 

John Tetzel sets up his great red cross in the Jiiterbogk church, and 
begins the sale of his pardons. He is very sore over his loss. The peo- 
ple laugh at him, and say it was a good joke that the robber played. 
Jiiterbogk is only four miles from Wittenberg, where the boy who sung 
for his breakfast is preaching and hearing people confess their sins. 

All-saints-day comes. The people from all the country round flock 
to Wittenberg to see the procession of the holy relics, for, on this 1st of 
November, the images of the saints and the relics are to be carried in pro- 
cession through the streets. 

The people come to Friar Mai'tin to confess their sins. 

" You must leave off sinning," he says to them. 

" Leave off sinning ?" 

" Yes ; I cannot grant absolution unless you do." 

" But we have liberty to sin." 

" Liberty to sin ! Who gave you liberty to sin against God ?" 

" Doctor Tetzel, over in Jiiterbogk. Here are the indulgences which 
we have purchased." 

" I care nothing for your indulgences. Unless you repent, you will 



THE BOY- CARDINAL. 



203 



perish. I will not grant you absolution, unless you promise to leave off 
sinning." 

The people are in despair. They have paid their money for their in- 
dulgences, and now their confessor will not absolve them. They hasten 
to Jiiterbogk. 

" Our confessor will not absolve us. He says that these indulgences 
are good for nothing." 

" Good for nothing !" Doctor Tetzel will see about that. He goes 
into the pulpit. He is the Pope's ambassador, and is endowed with au- 
thority. He curses the young priest 
at Wittenberg, who has thus taken 
it upon himself to say that these in- 
dulgences are worth no more than 
blank paper. 

" I have orders from the Pope 
to burn every heretic who dares to 
oppose his most holy indulgences," 
shouts Tetzel ; and he orders a lire 
to be kindled in the market-place, 
to let the people understand that he 
means what he says. 

Evening comes. In the mar- 
ket-place of Jiiterbogk the tire 
which Doctor Tetzel has kindled is 
burning. Over in Wittenberg, at 
the same hour, the people see their 
young confessor nailing a paper 
upon the door of the church. They 
crowd around to see what sort of a notice it may be. They read : 

" Tliose who truly repent of their sins have a full remission of guilt 
and penalty, and do not need an indulgence." 

And this : 

" He who gives to the poor and lends to the needy does better than he 
who buys an indulgence." 

There are ninety -five paragraphs. The people read in amazement 
Here is war against Doctor Tetzel — a war between two doctors. 

Doctor Luther goes back to his room in the convent, little knowing 
what will come of his nailing up that paper — that it is the beginning of 
a series of events which will go on while time shall last; that out of it 
will come a great division in the Church ; that thrones will be tumbled 




LUTHER INSPIRED BY SATAN. 



204 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




into the dust ; that kings will go 
down, empires be rent asunder, 
lands bo desolated by war ; that 
there will be massacres and horri 
ble outraojes aojainst the lives and 
liberties of men ; that for thirty 
years continuouslj^ war will sweep 
over Germany. If he could but 
lift the veil that hides the future, 
he would see the sti-eets of Paris 
and the vine-clad valleys of Italy 
drenched in blood. He would see 
fires kindled all over England for 
the burning of men, women, and 
children. He would see men hurl- 
ed headlong fi-om precipices, roast- 
ed over slow fires, starving in dun- 
geons, subjected to every form of 
cruelty ; but with all this he would 
see the beginning of the emanci- 
pation of men, the advance of jus- 
tice, truth, and liberty — the be- 
ginning of a new era in human 
affairs. The monk does not know 
it; but that paper which he has 
nailed upon the oaken panels of 
the door is, as it were, the march- 
ing orders of the great Army of 
Freedom. 

The people read, and go home 
to think about it. They see that 
if what Doctor Luther says is true, 
then Doctor Tetzel has fooled 
them. He has sold them worth- 
less slips of paper. Men do not 
like to be swindled. 

Doctor Luther does not rest 
content with nailing up the paper 
on the church door. He will call 
into use the invention made by 



THE BOY- CARDINAL. 



205 



that man in Ilaerlem who loved 
to please his children — Laurence 
Coster — and which John Gutten- 
berg carried out. He pi'ints the 
paper, and in a few weeks all Ger- 
many is reading it. Tetzel is ter- 
ribly enraged. At Frankfort he 
kindles a tire in the market-place, 
and burns the paper. 

"Wait a little, and we will have 
the heretic roasted," he says. 

" Has that monk of Wittenberg 
an iron head and a brass nose, so 
that he cannot be crushed ?" asks 
the chief of the Dominican friars. 

" Such a heretic ought not to 
live an hour," cries James Hoch- 
staeter, of Cologne. 

Friar Martin is not frightened 
in the least, but goes on preaching 
and writing against the sale of in- 
dulgences and the practices of the 
wicked monks. 

The priests say that he has sold 
himself to the devil. They get 
up a horrible picture, representing 
Martin as being inspired by Satan. 
Martin's head is a bagpipe, his nose 
the flageolet. The devil squeezes 
the friar's head under his arm, 
blows the wind into one ear, and 
plays upon his nose with his claws. 

The friends of Friar Martin 
set themselves to work ; and Hans 
Holbein draws a powerful picture, 
one part of which represents the 
Pope and his agents selling par- 
dons ; and, in contrast. King Da- 
vid, Manasses, and the humble pub- 
lican are confessing their sins to 




206 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




PAFA, DOCTOR THEOLOGIvK ET MAGIS- 
TER FIDEI. 

"A long-eared ass can with the Bagpipes 
cope 
As well as with Theology the Pope." 



God, and receiving his blessing. The peo- 
ple see that they are being swindled. Some 
have seen it for a long time, but have made 
no open protest ; but now they speak plain- 
ly. They take the liberty of dissenting 
from what the Pope has decreed. That 
man who was so disgusted with St. Thomas's 
shirt, Erasmus, long before Martin nailed 
the paper on the door of the church, poked 
fun at the friars, and ridiculed tlie sale of 
indulgences in a book which he wrote. In 
the old city of Nuremberg there is a man 
who mends shoes, and who sings songs ridi- 
culing the monks — his name is Hans Sachs. 
The painter Holbein brings out another 
picture, which represents Christ as the true 
light. The pictures, the songs, the tracts, 
the preaching, set men everywhere to think- 
ing. One of the pictures published repre- 
sents an ass wearing the Pope's crown, and playing a bagpipe, with a 
couplet explaining it. So, from ridiculing the monks and friars, they 
began to ridicule the Pope. Lucas Cranach drew a picture which rep- 
resented the Pope as being cast into 
hell. Up to this time men have re- 
garded the Pope as having all pow- 
er — as being God's agent on earth; 
but now they laugh at the idea, and 
consign the Pope to perdition. It is 
a sudden breaking of the shackles that 
have bound the intellects of men. It 
is freedom. 

In vain does John Tetzel set up 
his cross in the churches ; the people 
will not buy the Pope's indulgences. 
The money which has been flowing 
toward Rome ceases to go in that di- 
rection. Friar Martin and his follow- 
ers are drying up the fountains. Leo 
is a kind - hearted man. He would 
like to have everything peaceful ; but the pope cast into hell. 




THE BOY- CARDINAL. 20^ 

he cannot permit an obscure monk to overthrow his authority. He sends 
a summons to Martin to appear at Rome and answer for what he has 
said and written ; but Martin will not go. And the Pope summons him 
to appear before a legate, Cardinal Cajetan, at Augsburg ; and Martin 
obeys. 

" Take back what you have said," is the demand of the legate. 

" I stand by the truth. I will not take it back." 

Doctor Luther knows that his life is in danger; that if Cardinal Ca- 
jetan could only get him once inside of a dungeon, he never would re- 
gain his liberty. He has appeared and made his answer. He waits four 
days. 

" You are not safe here ; you must not remain," say his friends. 

He is on foot, but they supply him with a donkey, and an hour before 
daylight, on an August morning, he mounts the animal, picks his way 
through the silent streets of the old town. The birds are singing. The 
sunlight streams up the east. He, too, breaks into singing, for he has 
stood up for truth and liberty against the mightiest power on earth. 

Doctor Luther goes back to Wittenberg to send out more books and 
pamphlets, in defence of what he believes to be the truth. Peddlers carry 
them through the country. The people read them, pass them from hand 
to hand, discuss them by their firesides. It is like the lighting of torches. 
Men see as they never saw before. Others begin to write and preach 
against the authority of the Pope. Germany is stirred as never before. 
The works of the monk of Wittenberg are read by the mountaineers of 
Switzerland. They are translated into other languages ; and so the wave 
of intellectual life and liberty rolls over the land. 

U 



^10 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE BOY-EMPEROR. 

MAXIMILIAN, Emperor of Gerniaiiy, is dead, and some one mnst 
be chosen in his place. There are three individuals who desire to 
be elected — Henry of England, Francis of France, and Charles of Spain. 
Henry is twenty-six years old, Francis twenty-one, and Charles nineteen. 
It is not long before Henry sees that he has no chance ; but Fi-ancis and 
Charles are both confident of success. Francis sends ambassadoi's to the 
princes of Germany, who are to elect the emperor, promising to do great 
things for them ; presenting them purses filled with gold. Charles does 
the same. But the man who patronizes painters and sculptoi's down in 
Kome (Pope Leo) has something to say about it. He uses his infiuence in 
favor of Charles, who is already King of Spain, Netherlands, and Naples, 
and who lays claim to a portion of Italy. 

The electors meet in the old council -hall in Frankfort, in Germany, 
and make choice of Charles; and Francis finds that he has spent his 
money, and been defeated besides. He could put up with the loss of the 
money ; but a wounded spirit, who can bear ? It is a bitter disappoint- 
ment, and Charles knows that Francis will take his revenge. 

On a day in May, 1520, the people of Dover, in England, are sur- 
prised to see a great fleet of Spanish war -ships sailing into the harbor. 
What is the meaning of it ? There is the flag of the King of Spain, the 
Boy- emperor of Germany, as they call him, flying at the mast-head of 
the largest ship. The fleet comes to anchor, and the people soon learn 
that the young emperor has come to make a visit to his aunt Katherine 
and uncle Henry. Horsemen ride post-haste to London, and Henry sends 
his true friend and chief adviser, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, to Dover to 
offer his congratulations to his nepiiew, and to say to Charles that he will 
hasten down, and that together they will ride to Canterbury, to the tomb 
of Thomas Becket, and cement their friendship at that shrine. 

Cardinal Wolsey is very much pleased to go upon such an errand, for 
he would like to have a little private conversation with Charles before 



THE BOY-EMFEKOU. 



211 



Henry arrives ; perhaps he may 
be able to advance his own fort- 
inies. He is getting on well in 
the world. When he was a boy, 
he carried joints of mutton and 
roasts of beef to the people of 
Ipswich, where his father was a 
butcher; later, his father sent 
him to Oxford, where he grad- 
uated, and became a preacher; 
but he led a fast life, and one 
day the sheriff arrested him, 
and he was condemned to sit in 
the stocks for his misdeeds — a 
strange spectacle to his parish- 
ioners ! 

Thomas could not be con- 
tent to live in a little country 
village where a justice of the 
peace could interfere with his 
pleasures, and so went to Lon- 
don. The Archbishop of Can- 
terbury was his friend, and in- 
troduced him to the king, Hen- 
ry Vn. The king was pleased 
with him, and, through the arch- 
bishop's influence, made him a 
dean. Being a dean, he was in 
a position to push his fortunes, 
and soon became Bishop of 
York, He was so influential 
and able, that when Henry YIII. 
came to the throne, he selected 
liira to be his prime minister, 
Louis Xn. of France wanted 
to marry Henry's sister Mary ; 
and he seeing that Wolsey had 
g^reat influence at court, sent 
him a purse flUed with gold. 
Then the Boy-cardinal, in Rome, 




212 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



wlien he became Pope, desiring to secure Henry's friendship, made him 
a cardinal, and gave him permission to appoint all the bishops, deans, and 

other prelates of the Church in 
England. It is a power greater 
than that held by the king. iVll 
the Church ojfficials, from the 
verger who opens the pew -door 
up to the Archbishop of Canter- 
bury, will take off their liats to 
him, and all the lords, earls, and 
barons will wait upon him. 

No earl of England lives in 
greater state. He rides a donkey, 
to show that he is as humble as 
-ii^iii his Master, who rode into Jeru- 
saleni on an ass; but he spreads 
a luxurious table, and drinks the 
best wines. He wears a gor- 
geous dress, with a massive gold 
necklace studded with diamonds 
and pearls. His tippet is of 
the finest sable, and his robe is 
trimmed with the whitest ermine. His shoes are of silver and gold, inlaid 
with diamonds. He has eight hundred men in his train — sons of barons, 
earls, lords, counts — fifteen knights, and forty squires. His servants are 
in livery. His cook wears a velvet-satin jacket, and a gold chain npon his 
neck. A lord rides 
before the cardinal, 
carrying the red liat 
which Leo has given 
him. Another lord 
carries a golden mace, 
while two priests bear 
massive silver crosses. 
His saddle - cloth is 
of crimson velvet, his 
stirrups of solid sil- 
ver. Men armed with 
spears and swords, a grand cavalcade of horsetnen, with a regiment of 
servants — more than a thousand in all — make up his retinue. 




INTERIOR OF CHAPTER-HOUSE, CANTERBURY. 




THOMAS WOI>SET ATTO HIS COMPANIONS IN THE STOCKS. 



THE BOY- EMPEROR. 



213 



One of the gentlemen in his train is Thomas Cromwell, who was born 
in London, 1490. Ilis fatlier was a blacksmith, but this Thomas did not 
mean to blow the bellows or swing the sledge for a living. He has been 
a clerk in a store in London and at Antwerp, but has entered Cardinal 
Wolsey's service, and is on the high-road to fortune. The world will yet 
hear from this son of a blacksmith. So great a man as Wolsey must have 
a chaplain, and he has selected Edmund Bonner for that service. This 
preacher has graduated at Oxford. He is only twenty-five years old, but, 
now that he is in the cardinal's service, is getting on in the world. We 
shall see him again. 

The cardinal has a great deal of writing to be done, and he has ap- 
pointed as his chief and confidential secretary Stephen Gardiner. He is 
an able man, but artful, ambitious, 
and proud. He was educated at Ox- 
ford, and can speak and write sever- 
al languages. The world will be bet- 
ter or worse for ^vhat he will do, as 
we shall discover farther along. 

Cardinal Wolsey rides to Dover to 
receive tlie young emperor; but what 
is he thinkino; of as he hastens alono- 
the dusty road through the hop-fields 
of Kent? He is thinking of how he 
shall wind the Boy-emperor round his 
little finger. He knows what Charles 
has come for — not merely to make a 
friendly visit to Katherine and Hen- 
ry, but to enlist Henry on his side in 
case Francis begins a war. He has 
come to persuade Henry to give up 

a friendly meeting which he is intending to have with Francis, in June, 
over the Channel near Calais, where carpenters and masons are erecting 
a grand palace for use during the festivities. Cardinal Wolsey is turning 
the matter over in his mind. How much can Cardinal Wolsey make out 
of this visit? In what way can he best wind the boy round his finger, 
and make him pay for the winding besides? Cardinal Wolsey is taking 
long looks ahead. He is already master of affairs in England. The Pope 
will not live forever; and when he dies, who in the world is more worthy 
to occupy the pontifical chair than he who once carried joints of mut- 
ton and beef to the people of Ipswich, but who is now as powerful as 




CAKUINAL WOLSEY. 



214 



THE STORY OF LIBERFY. 



Henry himself ? Plainly, it will be for his interest to make Charles under 
obligations to him ; but if he helps the emperor, the emperor in turn must 
do great things for him : he must have some pay down, and the promise 
of a great deal more by-and-by. 

The. cardinal arrives at Dover, and bows with great deference to the 
pale young man. They talk b}' themselves. Charles is ready to do any- 
thing for his friend the cardinal, and gives him outright a bishopric in 
Spain. The cardinal need not ever set foot in the country ; but he may 




THE " GREAT HARRY." 

have all the revenue, which shall be collected and sent to him — ten thou- 
sand ducats per annum ; and when Leo dies, the emperor will use his ut- 
most influence to secui-e the election of the cardinal as his successor. The 
cardinal, on his part, will see to it that no harm shall come to Charles 
from the proposed meeting between Francis and Henry. It is better, the 
cardinal thinks, that the meeting should take place. 

Henry and Katherine and the barons' and lords hasten to Dover to 
pay their respects to Charles, and then they ride up to Canterbury to ce- 
ment their friendship around the tomb of Thomas Becket. Mass is per- 
formed in the cathedral — they have a grand banquet, and then the caval- 



THE BOY- EMPEROR. 215 

cade takes the road to Dover once more ; for Henry and Katherine, and 
all the nobles and lords and knights, are on their way to the Field of the 
Cloth of Gold, which we shall see in the next chapter. 

Henry is large-framed and strong. He can pitch a quoit or throw an 
iron bar with the best men in the kingdom. He has blue eyes and rosy 
cheeks ; while Charles is thin, pale, and spare, and has a heavy underjaw. 
They ride side by side. Katherine accompanies them, with her little 
daughter Mary, four years old. So these five persons, who will have much 
to do with the history of liberty, journey together to Dover — the man who 
is managing them all riding on a donkey, and his great retinue following. 

Henry has a fleet of ships waiting for him and the nobles and knights 
of England. His largest ship is the Great Harry. He bids the emperor 
good-bye ; and the Spanish ships, amidst the thundering of cannon, spread 
their sails, and shape their course toward Holland ; while Henry's steer 
straight across the Channel to Calais. 



216 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTEE XIY. 

THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD. 

THREE hniidred masons, five hundred carpenters, scores of painters, 
plasterers, decorators, glass-setters — three thousand men in all — have 
been at work since the 19th of March, and it is now the middle of June, 
huilding a royal palace on the Field of the Cloth of Gold. The edifice 
is in the form of a quadrangle, with audience-rooms, chambers, halls, and 
courts. Upon the towers of the palace and on the battlements are figures 
of gods and heroes. The interior is hung with rich tapestries. Adjoining 

the great audience-room is a chapel, 
the walls of which blaze with jewels. 
The altai', the candlesticks, and the 
crucifix are of silver, and the cano- 
py above the altar is of pure gold. 

Near the palace is a grand pavil- 
ion, the covering of which is cloth 
of gold, lined with blue velvet and 
studded with silver stars. The tent 
ropes are of pure silk, intertwined 
with threads of gold. There are 
many smaller pavilions of the same 
material, gorgeously decorated. 
FRANCIS I. Henry VIII. of England has 

erected the palace, and Francis I. of 
i^'rance the pavilion. They have made these preparations for a tourna- 
ment and fraternal meeting. Francis would like to have Henry his friend 
A\'hile he gratifies his revenge against Charles. Henry is a little jealous of 
Charles — so much power is too much for a boy of nineteen to wield — and 
he is quite willing to be on friendly terms with Francis. 

Cardinal Wolsey arranges affaii-s. There will be tilting, mock battles, 
banquets, dances, promenades ; but not much talk about political matters. 
The King of France shall be well pleased at the hospitality of the King 




THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD. 



2ir 



of England ; the King of England shall be gratified with the courtesy of 
the King of France, But the cardinal determines that there shall be no 
treaties made or promises given that cannot be broken. 




What a grand assembly ! Two kings, two queens, dukes, earls, lords, 
barons, nobles, knights, counts, marquises, cardinals, archbishops, gorgeous- 
ly arrayed in silk, satin, and velvet ; in purple, crimson, green, blue, and 
buff, with gold and silver trimmings, with ostrich plumes and eagles'' 
feathers — their garments glittering with jewels ! 

Six thousand of the nobility of England are there, with nearly four 
thousand horses. Thousands of the noblemen of France, and Spain, and 
Italy, and Germany are assembled; for messengers have been travelling 
in all those countries, in- 
viting them to attend the 
grand tournament. 

Henry rides a beau- 
tiful horse. His coat is 
cloth of silver, ribbed with 
gold. Plis jacket is of 
rose -colored velvet; his 
boots of yellow morocco. 
He wears a black velvet 
cap, blazing with dia- 
monds, and adorned by 
a white plume. Around 
his neck is a heavy gold 
chain, set with rubies and 
pearls. On his breast is 
a jewel that twinkles like 
a star. 

Before the king rides 
a marquis, carrying the ^ 
sword of state. Two 




CHAMriON or THE TOURNAMENT. 



218 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



pages, ready to do his bidding, walk by his side. At his left hand rides 
Cardinal Wolsey, on his donkey, wearing his scarlet cloak, scarlet slippei-s, 
and a scarlet hat. Behind the king is the Duke of Suffolk (Charles Bran- 
don), on a white horse ; and following him is the Bishop of Rochester, with 
a beard so long that it covers all his breast. Sir Henry Guilford leads 
the king's spare horse. After him comes a grand cavalcade of nobles, 
magnificently arrayed. 




THE TOURNAMENT. 



Out from the Golden Pavilion rides the King of France. He is tall, 
and has a long nose. His face is bronzed. He has long legs and small 
feet. He wears a coat of satin silver cloth, glittering with precious stones. 
His cap is of damask and gold, spangled with diamonds. With him are 
the noblemen of France, in rich attire, riding the most beautiful horses 
to be found in the kingdom. Some of them have expended so much 
money in preparing for the tournament that they will be in debt for the 
remainder of their days. 



THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD. 



219 




THE COOKS GETTING DINNER. 



A great camp has been established, with magnificent pavilions, where 
the queens of England and France, with the ladies, may behold the games. 
The kings have each a private pavilion near by ; and there are other tents 
by the thousand. In one are hundreds of casks filled with the choicest 
wines. There are dining-halls and lunch-tables, and there is to be no end 
of feasting. Hundreds of cooks are employed day and night in preparing 
the feasts. 

It is on the 11th of June, 1520, that the tournament begins. The 
Queen of England (the little girl whom we saw in the Alhambra) wears a 
rich dress, covered with jewels. Even the cloth npon which she rests her 
feet is powdered with pearls. 

Claude, the Queen of France, is younger than Katherine, and very 
beautiful. Francis has obtained for her the richest dresses to be had in 
the realm, and the most costly jewels. She rides in a stately carriage. 



V! |.f 



v^^^-.,f|»'\'^K^^ 




THK QUEEN S CARRIAGE. 



220 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

Among the ladies in the ti'ain of Queen Claude is a girl whom we have 
seen before, one of the number who went to France with Henry's sister 
Mary, when she went to be the wife of the king, who was old enough to 
be her grandfather — Louis XII. Yery little happiness did Mary have 
with Louis, who was afflicted with dropsy, and who died ' three months 
after their marriage. 

What did Mary do then ? Without letting Henry or anybody else 
know what she intended to do, she married her true-love, Charles Bran- 
don. Henry did not like it at first, but made the best of it, and now the 
young man is riding by his side as Duke of Suffolk. 

The little girl, Anne Boleyn, was only seven years old when she went 
with Mary to France to be her little waiting-maid ; now she is eighteen. 
Of all the ladies at the tournament, there is none so fair, none more grace- 
ful in the dance, none so bright and witty. Henry beholds her in all 
the freshness and beauty of maidenhood. 

The kings put on their armor, the trumpets sound, the heralds make 
proclamation, and the tournament begins. The kings are victors in the 
games. It would not do for a subject to disarm the king — he would stand 
a chance of having his head cut off, or at least of losing the king's favor. 

One of the noblemen accompanying Francis is the Duke of Guise, 
or Duke of Lorraine, as he is sometimes called. He was a poor boy, but 
he has been making his fortune by fighting for Francis. He was badly 
wounded three years ago, but has recovered. He is married to Antoinette 
of Bourbon, and has a little daughter, Mary, who will be Queen of Scot- 
land by-and-by, and the little babe which she will hold in her arms will 
also bear the name of Mary — Mary Queen of Scots. The duke has a 
eon, Francis Guise, a spirited boy. Little does King Henry imagine that 
the son by-and-by will wrest the old town of Calais from his daughter 
Mary — the little girl now four years old — who will be Queen of England, 
and that the loss of it will break Mary's heart. 

Henry and Francis talk of betrothing Mary to Francis's son Hemy, 
who is only two years old ; but such a marriage never will be consum- 
mated. The son of the French king, whom we shall see by-and-by on 
the throne as Henry, will find a wife beyond the Alps in the old city 
of Florence, where she is at this moment sucking her thumbs in her era- 
die in a palace near the grand old cathedral — the palace in which Pope 
Leo was born. She is Leo's grandniece, Catherine de' Medici, who, when 
Bhe is fourteen, will come to France to be married to LCenry. Let us keep 
this Florentine baby in remembrance, because she will play a terrible part 
in the story of liberty. 



THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD. 



221 



The tournament lasts three weeks. When it is ended, Francis returns 
to Paris, and Henry and Cardinal Wolsej set their faces toward England ; 
but before crossing the Channel they ride out from Calais a little way, and 








THE CATHKDRAL, FLOltKM K. 



whom do they meet? Charles, who has been waiting conveniently near 
for an interview ; and Charles is greatly pleased to hear from the cardinal 
that Henry has entered into no alliance with the King of France. He 
will do in return all that he can for Cardinal Wolsev. 



222 THE STOKY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE MEN WHO OBEY ORDERS. 

ON that day when the boy who sung for his breakfast was standing 
before Conrad Cotta's door, there was another boy in Spain wlio- 
was waiting npon King Ferdinand. His father was a nobleman. The 
boy never knew what it was to be poor. We may think of him as running 
here and there carrying letters and despatches. He learns to obey — to do 
whatever he is commanded to do without asking any questions. It be- 
comes the habit of his life. Obedience is a virtue, and he accomplishes 
his work with energy and despatch. He is faithful in all his trusts. 

Years pass. Ferdinand is dead, and Chai-les V. is King of Spain. 
The page is a young man. He has suffered a great disappointment — a 
lady whom he loves has rejected his suit ; and so when Francis I. of 
France, a few weeks after that meeting with Henry at the Field of the 
Cloth of Gold, sends an army to drive Charles out of Navarre, and force 
him to give up the territory which Ferdinand wrested from Catherine de 
Foix, the cavalier Ignatius Loyola eagerly engages in the war, to forget, 
in the excitement of the camp, the fair lady who has rejected his suit. 
He is wounded and taken prisoner. Through the weary days he lies upon 
his cot. The time is long. His spirits chafe. He offers vows to the Vir- 
gin Mary that if she will cure him he will make a pilgrimage to Jerusa- 
lem. His wound heals, and he keeps his vow, for he has learned faith- 
fulness in the court of Ferdinand. He has wonderful visions ; the Vir- 
gin appears to him, surrounded with supernal glory, to reward him for 
his fidelity. 

Loyola returns to Spain, and has so much to say about his vision that 
the men who ask questions thrust him into prison as a heretic ; but he 
makes his escape, and flees to Fi-ance. He is deeply religious, fasting 
and praying all night. He consecrates himself to the service of the Vir- 
gin — to go wherever she may send him, to do what he can in converting 
the world. 

In Paris he makes the acquaintance of Peter Faber, Francis Xavier^ 



THE MEN WHO OBEY ORDERS. 



223 



and four other young men, whom he fires with his own lofty enthusiasm 
for the conversion of the world. They fast and pray, and form them- 
selves into a society, with Loyola as their general, who shall tell thena 




IGNATIUS LOYOLA. 

what to do, and they will do it ; where to go, and they will go, without 
asking any questions. They take four solemn oaths : 

1. To obey their general, no matter what he may command them to do. 

2. Never, as individuals, to own any property, but to obtain all they 
can for the Church. 

3. Never to marry. 

4. To do whatever the Pope commands. 

They are animated by one lofty idea — to put forth all their energies 
to convert the world. For this they will suffer hardship, hunger, poverty, 
privation, sickness, and death. Nothing shall deter them, no obstacle turn 
them back. 

In April, 1538, these seven brethren kneel before Pope Alexander 
Farnese, in Pome, and ask him to accept their services. They will go or 
come, and will do all that he shall order. The Pope sees that he can use 



224 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

such men to good advantage. He accepts their services, and recognizes 
the Society of Jesus as an agency of the Church. He issues a bull ex- 
empting the brothers from all control except his own. They are not an- 
swerable to cardinals, archbishops, or anybody else — not even to kings or 
emperors, neither to any civil or ecclesiastical law. They never shall be 
called upon to pay any tithes or taxes. 

Loyola draws up a set of actions for the society — not based on the Ten 
Commandments, nor on Christ's Sermon on the Mount, but on the idea 
that if an object to be attained is good, they may use any means to obtain 
it, even though the means may not be good. 

"A good motive inahes any action right.''^ 

That is what Loyola believes. It is right to tell a lie, to take a false 
oath, to defraud, and commit even murder, if the act is done for the good 
of the Church. So if the members of the society judge that the Church 
will be benefited by having a king or queen, or anybody else, put out of 
the way, it will be right for them to take any means to accomplish it. 

"iVo action wicked, in itself is really wicked unless the intention is 
■evil. 

'■^In tahing oaths, the member's of the society may make mental res- 
ervations to break them, if they can benefit the Church by so doing. 

''''If called itpon to justify any of their actions, they may give a 
false motive instead of the real one. They may equivocate, may jus- 
tify fraud and deceit, without any scruples of conscience.''^ 

The Pope promises to grant them absolution for whatever they may 
do that in itself would be wrong, but which he will make right, because 
it is for the good of the Church. 

^^No member of the society shall submit himself to be examined be- 
fore any court of justice without the permission of his superiorP 

This makes the society superior to the State — to kings and emperors 
— superior to all law. 

"7/" the members are cast into prison for refusing to testify, they 
are to account it all honor to suffer for the good of the Church^ 

With the Pope's blessing resting upon them, the members of the so- 
ciety go forth, in their enthusiasm, to establish the Church in every land — 
threading the jungles of India; traversing the deserts of Africa; sailing 
along the rivers of China; making their way amidst the mountains of Ja- 
pan ; crossing the Atlantic ; penetrating the wilds of America ; planting 
the cross on the plains of Brazil and the peaks of the Andes ; establishing 
missions amidst the fertile vales of Mexico ; making themselves at home 
in the wigwams of the Indians of the New World ; sailing their canoes 



THE MEN WHO OBEY ORDERS. 



225 



on the great lakes; threading the wilderness beyond the Mississippi; es- 
tablishing missions everywhere ; bringing myriads of the human race un- 




THi. JLfcUIT MISSIONARY 



der the dominion of the Church ; persuading men where persuasion will 
accomplish what they desire, and employing force where force is possible, 
reo;ardless of natural rii^hts and liberties. 

We shall see, b^'-and-by, what will come from such an organization, 
established on a code of morals which sets up vice for virtue, falsehood for 
truth, deceit for honesty ; which claims to be superior to king, emperor, 
Parliament, or Congress ; which makes itself a despotism over the hearts 
and consciences of men ; which places its spies in every household, taking 
note of the actions and beliefs of every individual ; trampling on all law ; 
setting aside all authority ; acknowledging only one whom they are bound 
to obey — the Pope of Rome ! 

15 



22G THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTEE XYL 

PLANS THAT DID NOT COME TO PASS. 

HOW easy it is to plan ! How nice it would be if we conld only carry 
out our plans ! So we think. Why do we not carry them out ? 
Because there are other plans besides our own. Before we get through 
with this Story of Liberty, perhaps we shall see that, somehow, almost 
all of the great plans of kings and emperors have been overturned ; that 
things have not come out as they intended. Perhaps we shall see that be- 
hind all the plans of men to advance their own interests, there will seem 
to be another plan — that circumstances and events will take such shape 
that we shall be able to discover a new arranging of things — a plan supe- 
rior to all others, as if God had a plan and were behind all the overturn- 
ings and defeats of men. 

The King of France, who has gone back to Paris from the Field of 
the Cloth of Gold, is laying his plans. He intended to be emperor, but 
Charles has won the prize, and now he will have his revenge. He will 
march his armies across the Alps and pounce upon Milan, and perhaps 
carry his victorious legions to Naples. 

Cardinal Wolsey, M'ho had the private interview with Charles, and 
promised to manage Henry in Charles's interest, is laying his plan, and 
every move that he may make in life will have reference to it ; he is go- 
ing to be Pope when Leo dies. Charles has promised to place him in the 
pontifical chair, Henry has not yet laid his plan ; what it will be we 
shall see by-and-by. He would like to lead his armies to victory ; but 
the people of England have no desire to go philandering over the Conti- 
nent searching for some one whom they may conquer. Henry is wishing 
that he had a younger wife — a lady fresh and fair, sparkling and w^itty. 
Such a one as Anne Boleyn, for instance, for the wrinkles are coming in 
Kathei-ine's cheeks, and she will soon be an old woman. 

Anne Boleyn has gone to London. She is bright and beautiful. What- 
ever plans she may be laying, she keeps them to herself; but the king 
smiles upon her, and she is graciously received at court. 



PLANS THAT DID NOT COME TO PASS. 227 

Charles has laid his plan to be emperor, and lias carried it out. Now 
what shall he do ? Why not aim to be ruler of the world, and be as 2;reat 
as Csesar or Alexander. He is master of more than half of Europe — Spain, 
Netherlands, Germany, Naples, and part of Italy, all the New World — the 
empire in the West. Why not go on and ci'ush France ? He will, 

Leo is building his great church in Rome. He is employing sculptors 
and painters. He will make his pontitical rule so brilliant that people 
in all coming time shall praise it. There is only one thing to mar liis 
plan: that monk in Germany, who, on All -saints -eve, in 1517, nailed a 
paper upon the door of Wittenberg church, has created such a disturb- 
ance that the people have stopped giving money. He must have monev, 
or he cannot go on with his grand project. He will have the heretic put 
out of the way, and the heresy suppressed. 

On the very day that Cardinal Wolsey takes Charles one side to have 
a confidential talk after the Field of the Cloth of Gold, Leo writes an 
order commanding Friar Martin Luther to stop preaching and writing. 
He gives him sixty days, in wdiich he must take back all that he has said ; 
if he does not retract it in that time, he wjll condemn him as a wicked 
heretic. All persons having Friar Martin's writings are commanded to 
throw them into the fire; and all who have supported him must at once 
abandon him, or they will be excommunicated, and also condenmed as 
heretics. 

Leo has been giving so much attention to the building of St. Peter's 
and the painting of pictures, that he has not kept himself fully informed 
in regard to what has been going on in Germany the last three years. He 
does not know that since All -saints -day, in 1517, onlj^ two and a half 
years ago, half of the people of Germany have become heretics. Many 
good men in the Church and out of it are heart and soul with Doctor 
Luther, who is no longer a friar. Some of them are writing books. Doc- 
tor Luther's friend, Philip Melancthon, is hard at work with his pen. 
Some of the bishops are writing in his favor, others against him. When 
King Henry gets home to England, from the Field of the Cloth of Gold, 
he takes his pen and writes against the doctor, which so pleases the Pope 
that he gives Henry a new title — Defender of the Faith — borne by all 
the sovereigns of England from that day to the present hour. 

The order of the Pope is published, and people wait to see what Doc- 
tor Luther will do. Will he yield ? Not he. 

There comes an evening in Decemljer. The snow is on the ground. 
The air is chill, but, though dreary the night, it does not prevent the 
students at Wittenberg from assembling in procession. They march out 



228 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



tlirongh the gate of the town. Doctor Luther leads them. They kindle 
a lire, and as the flames rise the doctor burns a lot of the Pope's books. 
If the Pope can burn Luther's books, Luther will let the world know that 
he can burn the Pope's. Tlie book which he throws into the flames cou- 




MELANCXHON. 



tains the claim of the Pope as being superior in all things — as lord of the 
liberties, rights, actions, hearts, and consciences of men. He also casts the 
Pope's bull into the fire. The students shout and hurrah, and the pro- 
cession goes back into the town. 

Christmas comes. The Wittenberg students, seeino; the boldness of 



PLANS THAT DID NOT COME TO PASS. 229 

their beloved doctor, lose all fear of Rome. They have a carnival. One 
of their number dresses himself up to represent the Pope. Some wear 
red cloaks and hats, to represent tlie cardinals. The other students seize 
the mock pope, put a paper cap on liis head, carry him on their shoulders 
through the streets, and tumble liim into the river. They strip the red 
cloaks from the mock cardinals, beat tliem and hustle them about, amidst 
the shouts and laughter of the people. 

The Pope cannot permit such a heretic as Doctor Luther to go unpun- 
ished. He sends word to the em]3eror, Charles V., that he must be seized 
and sent to Home. The emperor is young and ambitious. He has his 
plans against the King of France : it will not do for him to take action 
which will offend his subjects in Germany, for he wants their aid ; but 
here is half of Germany ready to support the heretic. 

" I cannot strike such a blow without tirst consulting my councillors," 
is the emperor's reply to the Pope. 

One of his councillors is Frederick of Saxony. 

" What shall we do with Doctor Luther ?" Charles asks of Frederick. 

Frederick does not know what reply to make. But that learned man 
fi-om Holland, just at this time, makes Frederick a visit — Doctor Erasmus, 
who was so diso;usted at the sio-ht of St. Thomas's shirt in Eno-land. 

"What do you think of Doctor Luther?" Frederick asks. 

" He has committed two great sins : he has attacked the Pope's crown 
and the monks' bellies," Doctor Erasmus replies. 

Frederick laughs. 

" Please give me a seriouS' answer." 

" Well, then, the cause of all this trouble is the hatred of the monks 
and friars to knowledge. They see that if the people acquire such knowl- 
edge as Luther wishes them to have, there will be an end to their tyr- 
anny and power. If the emperor imprison Luther, it will be a bad be- 
ginning for him. The world is thirsting for truth. Let the matter be 
examined by wise men : that will be the best thing for the Pope and for 
all concerned." 

They are wise words, and Frederick repeats them to the emperor. 
Charles will not seize Doctor Luther. 

Doctor Luther makes appeal to the Council of the Empire, or Diet, 
as the Germans call it, which is composed of the emperor, the electors, 
princes, counts, barons, representatives of the free cities, and other great 
men of the realm. 

" The Pope is superior to all others," say those opposed to Luther. 

" The council is superior to the Pope," Doctor Luther replies. 



-30 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

The Pope does not wish for a council. The very fact of its meeting 
will be the upsetting of his claim of superiority. It will be a declaration 
of libei-ty. AVhat shall Charles do ? He would like to please the Pope ; 
he wants him on his side in the light which he is going to have with 
Francis : he wants, at the same time, to please his German subjects, for 
he needs money and troops. If he seizes Doctor Luther, will they not be 
offended ? Upon the whole, it will be better to have the council. 

The council meets in the old city of Worms. The emperor sends his 
marshal, dressed in a gorgeous uniform, bearing a golden eagle, as the em 
blem of imperial authority, to summon Doctor Luther to attend it. 

The Town Council of Wittenberg obtain a carriage for their preacher. 
Three of his friends accompany him— to die with him, if need be, in be- 
half of liberty. They reach the old town of Weimar. The Pope's agents 
are there posting up a paper, in which everybody is commanded to aban- 
don the heretic. 

" Will you go on ?" asks the hei-ald of the empii'e. 

"Go on ! Yes ; though I am interdicted in eveiy city. The emperor 
has given me his safe-conduct— the promise that I shall not be harmed 
while going or coming," Doctor Luther replies. 

" They will burn you as they burned John Hiiss," say his fj-iends. 
"Though they should make a fire extending from Wittenbei-g to 
Worms, and flaming to the skies, I will pass through it in behalf of tnitli 
and in the name of the Lord," is the replv. 

" The emperor will deliver you over to be burned, as Sigismund de- 
livered John Huss. Don't go," is the word which one of Frederick's chief 
advisers sends him. 

" Though there be as many devils in Worms as there are tiles on the 
roofs, I will go," is the word which Luther sends back. 

He arrives in sight of the city where he is to stand up before the great 
men of the empire in behalf of truth and liberty. ILas the boy who sung 
for his breakfast foi-gotten how to sing ? Not yet. He stands up iu his 
carriage, and his clear voice breaks forth in a hynm : 

'• God is a castle and defence, 

When trouble and distress invade ; 
He'll help and free us from offence, 
And ever shield us with his aid." 

There is great excitement in Worms. Everybody is asking if he will 
come. 

"He is coming!" The shout rings through the streets. A great 
crowd pours out from the city-gates— a multitude far greater than^hat 




A STREET IN THE OLD TOWN. 



PLANS THAT DID NOT COME TO PASS. 233 

which went out to meet Charles V., for lie and the princes, barons, 
knights, archbishops, and bishops are ah-eady there. Noblemen escort 
Doctor Luther into the city. 

The Pope's ambassadors are disappointed. They did not want Doctor 
Luther to come. They hoped he would be frightened, and stay away — 
not obey the order, and then the emperor would be obliged to seize him. 
The empei'or did not think that he would come. 

" Here he is. What shall we do ?" the emperor asks. 

" Pay no attention to his safe-conduct ; seize him at once," is the ad- 
vice of a bishop w^ho hates Doctor Luther. 

" I should not like to blush as Sigismund blushed before John IIuss," 
Charles replies. He is young, but he has a mind of his own, and he will 
not outrage honor and justice by such a perfidious act. 

" The council must be held," is the decision of the emperor. 

It is the 17th of April. The storks have arrived from the south, and 
are building their nests on the chimneys. The children are never weary 
of seeing them, or of listening to the twittering of the swallows, wheeling 
in the air ; but to-day they have something else to engage their attention. 
Kever has there been such a o-athering in the old town : all the o-reat men 
of the realm, besides thousands of people from surrounding towns, are 
gathered to see the great heretic. 

" He is a monster," says one. 

" They say he has horns." 

" And hoofs." 

"And a tail." 

" He is a devil in disguise.'' 

" He is a bad man," say Luther's detractors. 

" He is a good man ; he tells the truth," say his friends. 

So the people talk in favor of or against the man who has made such 
a commotion. 

The bell strikes four — the hour when Doctor Luther must appear 
before the council. The herald of the empire comes for him, but the 
ci'owd is so great in the streets that the herald cannot proceed. 

" Make way tliere !" 

But the crowd will not make way. 

"Give room!" 

He may shout till he is hoarse, but the people will not stir. Tliey 

caimot, for the street is full. Every window of the quaint old houses, 

whose upper stories jut over those below, is filled Avith heads, for all want 

to see the man who, bv his writing and preaching, has set the world in an 
15* 



234 THE STORY OF LIBERIY. 

uproar. Tlie people will not, or cannot, move, and the herald has to take 
Doctor Luther through gardens and by-ways to the council-chamber. 

The emperor is seated on a throne. Around him are his brother (the 
Archduke Ferdinand) and the electors of the empire. There are eighty 
dukes, thirty archbishops and bishops, the ambassadors of France and 
England, the Pope's ambassador — more than two hundred great digni- 
taries in all. 

No wonder the Pope did not want the council to meet. Has he not 
forbidden Doctor Luther's speaking? Yet here he is about to address 
the greatest assembly ever seen in Germany ! Has not the Pope for- 
bidden everybody from listening to him ? Yet here is an immense mul- 
titude waiting to hear what he will say. Has not the Pope declared that 
he is an outlaw, with no rights that any one is bound to respect? Yet 
here he is recognized as having rights which the emperor is bound to 
acknowledge. Liberty has made some pi'ogress since that evening when 
the young preacher, who sung for his breakfast in boyhood, nailed that 
paper upon the door of the Wittenberg church. 

After much struggling and pushing, the marshal and Doctor Luther 
reach the council-hall. 

" I have two questions to ask you," says the Archbishop of Treves, 
opening the examination, and pointing to some books on the tabla 

" Did you write these books?" 

" I do not deny having written those books," is the answer, after the 
titles are read. 

" Will you take back what you have written ?" 

" As to taking back anything in accordance with the Word of God, 1 
must act deliberately. I will give you my answer to-morrow." 

The council breaks up for the day. The crowd in the streets admire 
the courage of a man who dares to stand by his rights and for the truth 
in such an assembly— who even compels all the archbishops and the em- 
peror to wait upon him. 

Again Doctor Luther stands in the council. He is about to speak. 
The Archbishop of Treves cannot bear to have a man whom the Pope 
has forbidden to speak stand there and compel everybody to listen to 
him. 

" Will you, or will you not, retract ?" shouts the archbishop. 

Doctor Luther looks around. He is in the council's hands. What 
shall iie say? Shall he take all back? Liberty has led him; shall he 
now desert her? God has walked, as it M'ere, by his side; shall he dis- 
trust the Being who has protected him hitherto ? 



PLANS THAT DID NOT COME TO PASS. 237 

^^T cannot and I will not retract anything. God help me! AmenP'' 

Leo has his answer. 

"The court will meet again to-morrow to hear the emperor's judg- 
ment," is the proclamation of the marshal ; and the great throng breaks 
up. Doctor Luther goes back to his hotel. A servant comes in with a 
silver tankard filled with beer, sent by the old duke, Eric of Brunswick. 

"As the duke remembers me to-day, so may the Lord Jesus remember 
him in his 'lingdom," is the blessing uttered by the doctor. 

Once more the council assembles. The emperor gives his decision. 

"A single monk, misled by his own folly, stands up against the faith 
of Christendom, I will sacrifice my kingdom, my power, my treasure, 
my body, my blood, my mind, and my life to stop this impiety." 

Then the emperor goes on forbidding any one to give Doctor Luther 
anything to eat or drink, or to aid him in any way. As soon as the safe- 
conduct expires, all officers are ordered to seize him, and hold him as a 
prisoner, till the emperor shall decide what shall be done with him. 

So the emperor, twenty-one years of age, decides. He has made one 
mistake. He makes the decision himself, and does not consult the princes, 
dukes, and electors. It is only a few months since he was elected em- 
peror, and now he takes all the responsibility of deciding a momentous 
question, affecting the interests of all his subjects. The dukes and nobles 
think that they are entitled to have something to say upon public affairs. 
Why did the emperor call them into council, if they are to have no voice 
in the matter? Are they dummies only? They do not altogether relish 
the course pursued by the young man from Spain. 

Doctor Luther is on his journey homeward, riding through a dark for- 
est, along a lonely road. Suddenly a party of horsemen make their ap- 
peai'ance. They seize him, throw a cloak over him, compel him to mount 
a horse. It is the work of a moment, and then they disappear with him 
through the woods. He is gone almost before the men who are with him 
know what has happened. Have his enemies spirited him away ? His 
friends wring their hands in despair. 

The horsemen ride with him, fast and furious, through the forest, along 
lonely roads — sometimes turning back and riding over the road a second 
time — turning east, west, north, and south, so that no one shall be able to 
follow them. They strike into paths that seem to lead nowhere. Once 
they stop and rest, and give him a drink of water. No one speaks. Night 
comes, but on they ride in the dark, beneath the tall trees, over hills, 
through valleys. At last they climb a steep hill, and come to a great stone 
castle. The heavy gate swings upon its hinges, and the horsemen pass in. 



238 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



It closes. They talce him from his liorse, lead him to a chamber, and 
])oint to a knight's uniform which lies there. 




LUTHER AND THE POPE. 

(From au Old Priut.) 

" Take off your clothes and put it on," says one of the men. 

The doctor obeys. 

"Your name is Knight George. You are to let your hair and beard 
grow." 

The horsemen go out. lie is in a small room, 'with one little window, 
A servant brings some food, but does not talk with him. He lies down 
upon his cot, and awakes in the morning. He can look out through the 
gratings of the little window and see a great forest — nothing more. 
Where is he ? He does not know. He only knows that he is a prison- 
er; that he has a new name; and that his captors treat him kindly. 

What an upsetting of plans there has been since last night ! The em- 
peror had his plans — to have Doctor Luther arrested as soon as his safe- 
conduct expired. So would he keep on good terms with the Pope, 

Leo had his plans. He was going to bui-n tlie heretic. But Luther 
has suddenly disappeared, whither he does not know. With the arcli- 
heretic burned, the heresy would soon die out, perhaps ; but now it will 
go on. All of the emperor's plans to please the Pope and secure him as 
his ally against the King of France have been overturned. The bulls 
which Leo has issued are so much waste paper, and the cause of liberty 
will go on. It will roll like a wave over Germany. It will sweep across 



PLANS THAT DID NOT COME TO PASS. 



239 



the sea to England ; and as the centuries go by, it will surge across the 
Atlantic to the New World, which those sea-captains from Bristol dis- 
covered ; and in time it will sweep around the globe. All this will have 
a vital connection with the thought which has come to Frederick, Elector 
of Saxony, that it would be a good thing to seize Doctor Luther secretly, 
and shut him up where nobody will be al)le to find him. Whence came 
tiie thought ? What put it into Frederick's head ? Was there not a plan 
higher than the emperor's and the Pope's ? 

Months pass. Doctor Luther's friends think of him as having been 
secretly put to death. His enemies begin to think that the heretic will 
trouble them no more ; and yet all the while he is hard at work doing for 
Germany iust what Doctor Wicklif did for Enojland — ^trauslatins^ the Bi- 
ble, and so helping on the cause of liberty. 

In the solitude and quiet of the old castle, shut in from the world and 
liis enemies, he translates the great text -book of human freedom — the 
Bible. 

Three hundred and fifty years have passed since then ; and of Luther's 
translation it is estimated that three hundred and sixty million copies of 
t!ie Bible have been printed. 




VIKW FliOM ALBEKT I>UKEK d HOL'SK. 



240 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

A large number of the priests join Luther, some preaching against 
the Pope, others writing pamphlets. Printing-presses have been set up 
all over Europe ; poets write songs, painters produce pictures, and the 
hawkers peddle them through every hamlet ; and people discuss questions 
which, till now, they never have thought of discussing. By thinking for 
themselves, men begin to assert their rights and liberties. 

Nearly all the great artists and painters in Germany and Holland 
sym})athized with Luther, notwithstanding the Pope was their patron. 
One of them — Albert Diirer, of Nuremberg — was greatly grieved when 
lie heard that Luther had been seized, and probably killed. Diirer's house 
looked out upon the old Castle of Nuremberg, w^hich stood on a high hill. 
In the castle was a torture -chamber, filled with terrible instruments for 
inflicting pain : pincers, thumb-screws, clubs, knobby tables, and a great 
iron Virgin, as it was called, which embraced the victim with its iron 
arms, pierced him with spikes, and then, when life was extinct, the vic- 
tim's body would drop into a well two hundi-ed feet in depth, and none 
would know what had happened. 

The revolt of the people was not only against the abuses of the monks 
and the authority of the Pope, but it was the first clear insight which had 
come to them of their natural and individual rights. 



THE MAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWALN. 



2-tl 



CHAPTER XYII. 

THE MAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWAIN. 

KATIIERINE OF ARAGON is forty-four years old. The freshness 
has faded from her cheeks. Slie is a true wife, but Henry is tired 
of her. He is thirty-eight, in the full vigor of manhood. He is not a true 
husband, for he finds more pleasure in the society of Anne Boleyn than 
with Katherine. Anne is a lady of the court. Henry kisses her at a ban- 



- "^ 




WOLSIiY S I'ALACE. 



quet which Cardinal Wolsey gives in the magnificent palace that he has 
erected with the money Avhich he raked in fi'om Charles, from Henry, 
from the sale of church-livings, from taxation. It is a grand pile of build- 
ings, with spacious grounds around. 

The king sits by Anne's side, gazing npon her fair face, charmed by 
her pleasing ways, and enchanted by her matchless beauty. 

16 



242 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



Strange that a woman's smile should change a nation's destiny ; that 
a fair face should be the means, as it were, of giving a new direction to 
the current of human affairs ! Wonderful that through the love of a man 
for a woman should come the rending of the Church of Rome! Marvei- 
lons that in the reckless passion of a hard-hearted, cruel despot should lie 
enfolded, as it were, the rights, the liberties, the advancement, of the hu- 
man race ! 

Great changes have taken place in Europe since Henry met Anne, 




hi:;nky and anxe. 



twelve years ago, at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. It is 1532. Doctor 
Martin Luther, of Wittenbei'g, has been preaching and writing. Thanks 
to Laurence Coster and John Guttenberg, the world may know what is 
going on, and what people think. Men do not now take all their opinions 
from the Pope, especially in Germany, in Holland, and France. Maitin 
Luther's doctrines have made little progress in England. Henry and Car- 
dinal Wolsey are fast friends of the Pope. Henry is Defender of the 
Faith — a strong pillar to the Church. 



THE MAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWAIN. 



243 



Leo X. is dead ; but his nephew, another of the Medici family, is seated 
in the pontifical chair. Cardinal Wolsey intended to be Pope, and ex- 
pected that Ciiarles, for whom he had done so much, and wlio had made 
him so many solenm 
promises, would aid 
him ; but the cardinal 
has discovered that 
kings can play false as 
well as other men. - 

During these twelve ^ ~ ~ ^ 

years, Charles and Fran- 
cis have been at wai*. 
In February, 1524, 
their armies met at 
Pavia, in Itah', wliei'c 
Francis was defeated, 
and captured. Charles 
kept him in prison a 
year, and subjected him 
to humiliating terms 
before releasing him. 
Cluirles is a good Cath- 
olic, but he has been 
fighting the Pope, and 
his troops have sack- 
ed the city of Rome. 

Cardinal Wolsey rode next the king at the Field of the Cloth of 
Gold, and he rides next him now. lie has had his own way in eveiy- 
thing. He lives in great state. Lords and nobles do his bidding. He is 
proud and arrogant. One day the Duke of Buckingham is holding a gold 
basin while Henry washes his hands, and Cardinal Wolsey dips his own 
hands into the dish, M'hereupon the duke spills the water upon the cardi- 
nal's red slippers. 

"I will sit on your skirts, sir," says Wolsey. 

What he means by that Buckingham soon discovers, for the sheriff 
comes with an order from Henry for his arrest and connnitment to the 
Towei-. lie has spoken imprudent words, and Wolsey persuades Henry 
that the duke is meditating treason. In the ''Bloody Tower" Bucking- 
ham meets his fate. 

" Off with his head ! So much for Buckingham." 




MAIN ENTKAXCli TO "VVOLSKY S PALACE. 



244: 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




)\i 



BUCKINGHAM. 



The Ivino; of Eno-land can cut off the heads of liis o^reatest nobles as 
well as of his poorest subjects. He is supreme, and the people are slaves 

to his will. Will the time ever come 
when kings will be amenable to law ? 
Yes ; and this despot will himself 
unwittingly strike a great blow for 
human freedom. 

Henry is tired of Katherine ; how 
shall he get rid of her? He has been 
thiuking the matter over. He re(*alls 
the question whetlier or not it was 
right that he should marry his broth- 
er's widow. He protested when the 
betrothal was proposed ; but that was 
in his boyhood. His father came to 
the conclusion before his death that 
the betrothal Avas illegal, and dis- 
solved the conti'act; but Hem-y loved 
Katherine then, and would not break the engagement. Katherine is the 
mother of his only child, Mary ; but, for all that, Henry begins to doubt 
if the marriage was legal, notwithstanding the Pope gave his sanction. H 
it was illegal, then he ought to be divorced ; but, if divorced, then Mary 
would not be heir to the tlirone. What shall he do ? He loves Anne. 
The passion grows ; he must have her for a wife — she is so fresh and fair, 
so witty and captivating. 

Henry places the matter in the hands of Cardinal Wolsey, who sends 
an ambassador to Rome to lay the matter before the Pope, who promises 
to set aside the marriage. 

Charles finds out what is going on. Katherine is his aunt, and he 
enters his protest. What shall the Pope do ? Charles is powerful ; his 
troops have once plundered Rome, and may do so again. Henry must 
wait a little. He sends Cardinal Campeggio to England to sit with Wol- 
sey, as legates, with power to decide the question of divorcement. He 
writes out a bull setting aside the marriage, which the cardinal may show 
to Henry; but he is not to give it him till he can make things right 
with Charles. 

The cardinals hold a court in Blackfriars Palace, and Henry and 
Katherine appear before them. 

" I am ready to stand by the decision of the Pope's legates," says 
Henry. 



THE MAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWAIN. 



245 



" I am your truly wedded wife," is Katherine's exclamation as she 
falls at Henry's feet. She will not recognize the cardinals, turns her back 
upon them, and leaves the room. 

Cardinal Campeggio goes back to Rome. Months pass. Heniy is 
impatient and dissatisfied with Wolsey, who has had the management of 
affairs. But what shall he do ? 

One day Doctor Thomas Cranmer, of Cambridge, is dining with 




BUCKINGHAM ON HIS WAY TO PRISON. 

Stephen Gai-diner, Cardinal Wolsey's secretary, whom we saw at the 
Field of the Cloth of Gold. 

"Why does not the king lay the matter before the chief ministers and 
doctors of Europe, and let them examine the lawfulness of the marriage ?" 
Doctor Cranmer asks. 

It is a new idea, and Gardiner makes it known to Henry, who invites 



246 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



tlie doctor to London, and finds tliat he is able and learned. He lays the 
matter before the Oxford doctoi-s, wlio decide that the marriage \vr,s il- 
legal; the Cambridge doctors say the same. He sends a learned man to 




THK COURT AT BLACKFRIARS. 



Italy, and some of the doctors there coincide with the opinion. They 
discover a lot of old Greek mannscripts, which show that the doctors in 
old times were of their way of thinking. Henry consults the Jewish rab- 
bles, who say that in Judea, when a man died leaving no children, a 
brother nn'ght marry the widow to preserve possessions, but they thought 
it would be illegal out of Jndea. 

The Paris doctors, after three weeks' study, agree that the marriage 
was a lawful one ; and the doctors at Toulon, Anglers, and Orleans are of 
the sanie way of thinking. John Calvin, a learned doctor in Geneva, says 
it was illegal. Philip Melancthon, another learned doctor, Martin Lu- 
ther's best friend, thinks that it was lawful, but that it may be set aside. 

Henry sends Doctor Cranmer, Stephen Gardiner, and Edward Bonner 
to argue the matter before the Pope. The Pope listens, but makes no 
answer. Henry is impatient; he will wait no longer. As the Pope has 
promised to set aside the mari-iage, and has once written out the bull, as 
the doctors of Cambridge and Oxford say it was illegal, Henry leaves 



THE MAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWAIN. 



247 



Katlierine, aiid is privately married to Anne. No longer may tlie true- 
hearted queen live in one of the king's palaces. She goes into the coun- 
try. She is not even permitted to have Mary with her. With a break- 
ing heart, she writes to Charles of the indignity heaped npon her ; and 
Charles stirs up the Pope to sunimon Hemy to appear at Home and give 
an account of himself. 

"Appear at Rome and give an account of myself ! Tell the Pope 
that I am a sovereign prince, and that he has no authority in England." 

Out of this reply shall come the freedom of a nation. The people, 
the nobles, are with the king. Cardinal Wolsey makes all the Church 
appointments in England ; and as he is managing afPairs for the king, it 
will be for the interest of all the prelates to be on the king's side. Pai*- 
liament decides that no cause aft'ecting the interests of the kingdom shall 
be judged outside of the realm: any person executing an}- censure of the 
Pope shall be punished. 

Never before has the Parliament of England exercised such indepen- 
dence. New times have come. 

Henry appoints Doctor Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury. There is 
no reason why the Pope 
should not confirm so 
able and learned a man, 
and, though Hemy and 
Parliament are taking 
things out of his hands, 
ho sends a bull for his 
consecration. The doctor 
does not desire the office, 
and upon taking the oath 
makes this protestation : 

" Not to be bound by 
anything contrary to what 
I conceive to be my duty 
to God and to the king." 

It is the right of pri- 
vate judgment. He will 
thiidc for himself. Par- 
liament takes up the mar- 
riage of Katlierine. Was 
the marriage lawful ? 
Se\en lords say it was, the old guildhall, loxdon. 



^1k£i 




&Ji k>J^5¥~ 




248 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

fourteen say it was not. Of the Commons, two hundred and sixteen say 
it was not ; none say it was. The question goes to the bishops, who hold 
tlieir court. They summon Henry and Kathei'ine before them ; but 
Katherine will not recognize them as a court. The Pope is the one to 
whom she appeals. The bishops declare her contumacious of their au- 
thority ; and they decree that the marriage of Henry and Katherine is 
null and void, 

A few days later there is a grand pageant on the Thames. The Lord 
Mayor of London comes down from Guildhall, and steps into his gilded 
barge, to lead a procession of boats. He wears a scarlet cloak trimmed 
with gold-lace, and is accompanied by all the great men of the realm — 
lining fifty barges. In one boat sits a dragon with a long tail. From the 
monster's mouth issues a stream of fire. Another barge carries the rep- 
resentation of a mound supporting a tree covered with red and M'hite 
roses, for the Wars of the Roses (the houses of York and Lancaster) are 
over, and the great families are living in peace. Upon the tree sits a 
white falcon. Beneath its branches sit a group of girls, waving flags and 
singing songs. There are high-born young ladies, who grace the occasion 
by their presence. Thousands of boats follow in the wake of the pro- 
cession. 

There is still another barge, more gorgeous than all others, containing 
another company of high-born ladies, one of whom is seated in a gold- 
en chair beneath a golden canopy. We have seen her before. We first 
saw her hei'e upon the Thames, twenty years ago, when she was but seven 
3"ears of age — on that stormy day when Mary, King Henry's sister, took 
her departure for Fiance, to be the wife of old Louis XIL We saw her 
again at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, twelve years ago — the fairest and 
wittiest of all the ladies there. Now she is the wife of King Henry, and 
to-morrow she is to be crowned Queen of England — Anne Boleyn. 

As the royal procession passes up the stream, the people look out upon 
it from the quaint old houses huddled along the shore. The rowers ply 
tlieir oars ; the cannon thunder ; bells ring ; the people rend the air with 
shouting. The procession moves from the king's palace in Greenwich to 
the Tower. King Henry greets Anne at the landing with a kiss, and es- 
corts her into the Tower. 

This on Saturday. On Sunday morning all London is astir, for there 
is to be a grand coronation procession. The houses along the streets 
through which the procession is to pass are hung with crimson and scar- 
let. The Lord Mayor, in crimson velvet, leads the procession. After him 
rides the French ambassador, in a blue-velvet coat, with sleeves of blue 



THE MAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWAIN. 



249 



and yellow. Then come the judges, in their gowns ; then the Knights of 
the Bath, in velvet gowns and hoods ; then the abbots, the bishops, the 
Archbishop of York ; the ambassador from Venice ; the Arclibishop of 
Canterbury ; the great men — lords, earls, dukes ; tlie Lord High Constable, 
Duke of Siiifolk (Charles Brandon), who married Mary after the death of 
Louis XII. Anne Boleyn rides in a litter boi-ne by two horses — one be- 
fore, and the other behind. The litter is covered with cloth of gold. The 
horses are caparisoned with white damask, and led by footmen in livery. 

Anne wears a dress of silver tissue, and a mantle lined with ermine. 
Her hair hangs in loose tresses upon her shoulders. Upon her brow rests 
a coronet set with rubies. Four knights bear a canopy, to shelter her 
from the sun. 

Two chariots filled with ladies, and fourteen ladies on liorseback, with 
tliirty waiting- maids, follow the queen, accompanied by noblemen, who 
act as guards. Besides these, there is a great following of merchants and 
of cliildren. 

Fountains of Rhine-wine are erected along the sti-eets, and the people 
drink all that they wish, at the expense of the king— forgetting that, after 
all, they will have to foot the bill by increased taxes. School -childi'en 




WESTMINSTER, 1532. 

sing ballads ; poets recite verses. A gentleman presents Anne with a 
purse filled with gold. There are triumphal arches, festoons, banners ; 
the cannon thunder again, the bells clang once more, and the people shout 
themselves hoarse, as the procession moves from the Tower to Westminster 
Abbey. All the great men, all the noble ladies of England, are there. 
The mayor carries Anne's sceptre ; the Earl of Arundel, her ivory rod ; 
the Earl of Oxfoi'd, the crown ; the Duke of Suffolk, the silver wand ; 



250 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



Lord Howard, the niarisliars staff. The Bishops of London and Winches- 
ter hold the lappets of Anne's robe ; the old Duchess of Norfolk carries 
her train. 

Anne takes a seat in a gilded chair ; while the Archbishop of Canter- 




KETUKS FKUM THi; CUKlSXliNING. 



bury reads the Collects, anoints her forehead and breast, places the crown 
upon her brow, and hands her the sceptre. The choir sing a Te Deum, 
mass is performed, and the procession returns to Westminster Hall, to the 
banquet. 

At the dinner, the Earl of Essex is chief carver ; the Earl of Arnndel, 
chief butler; twelve noblemen act as cup-bearers; Lord Burgo\'ne is chief 
larder; Viscount Lile, cliief pantler — his chief business is to look after 
the bread ; while the Marquis of Oxford keeps the butter}^ bar. It is Sir 
Thomas Wyatt's business to pour scented water on Anne's hands. The 
Countess of Oxford and the Countess of Worcester stand near Anne, with 
a cloth in their lianas, to wipe her nose, in case she needs such service. 
Two ladies sit at the queen's feet. When all are in tlieir places, the Duke 
of Suffolk and Lord Howard I'ide into the hall on horseback, escorting the 
Knights of the Bath, who bring twenty-seven dishes for the queen. The 



THE MAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWAIN. 



251 



trumpets sound, and tlie feasting begins. King Henry takes no part in 
this demonstration of his subjects, but looks on from a little closet, and 
enjoys the scene. 

Not many weeks after the coronation, Anne gives birth to a babe — a 
daughter. There is great rejoicing; but there would have been greater 
joy if it were a son. There is still another grand pageant on the Thames 
when the babe is taken to Westminster, where it is christened Elizabeth. 

Cardinal Wolsey is in his glory — still the most powerful man in the 
realm. He gives grand banquets and entertainments in the great hall of 
liis palace. But there are often sudden changes in the prospects of great 




HALF- IN CAUUINAL WOLSEYS I'ALACE. 



men,, Henry is angry with him for his mismanagement of the divorce 
business. Amie has a grudge against him, for she has discovered that 
the cardinal did not intend that Henry should make her his wife.. The 



252 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY, 



nobles hate him, for he was only a butcher's boy, and not high-born. 
Henry discovers that he has been accumulating great wealth. He will 




OLD CHUKCH AT AUSTERFIKLD. 

bear with him no longer. He orders the cardinal to give up the seals of 
his office to Sir Thomas More. The Duke of Norfolk brings the mes- 
sage that all his property is confiscated to the king. Shakspeare pictures 
the scene in the hall of Wolsey's palace : 

'■'■Norfolk. So, fare you well, my little good lord cardinal. 
Wolsey. So farewell to the little good you bear me. 
Farewell, a long farewell, to all my greatness ! 
This is the state of man : to-day he puts forth 
The tender leaves of hopes, to-morrow blossoms, 
And bears his blushing honors thick upon him : 
The third day comes a frost, a killing frost. 
And — when he thinks, good easy man, full surely 
His greatness is a-ripening — nips his root, 
And then he falls, as I do." 

The cardinal bids farewell to London, and goes up the great road 
leading to York — the road over which Margaret, Henry's sister, travelled 
when she went to Scotland. In the old manor-house, at Scrooby, he finds 
a liome for a while. It is lonely there. His greatness has all gone by, but 
the good people of the little hamlet of Ansterfield still do him reverence 
when he enters the old stone church. They see that his locks are growing 



THE MAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWAIN. 



253 



white, that he has a sad face, that he walks feebly. He gives money to 
the poor, and they think that, after all, he has a kind heart. From Scrooby 
he goes to Esher. A few months pass, and the cardinal is on his death- 
bed, with this lament upon his lips : 

" If I had but served my God as faithfully as I have my king, he 
would not thus desert me in my old age." 

Liberty has not yet dawned upoil tlie people of England. To read 
the Bible is a great crime. Sir Thomas More is Lord Chancellor. He 
lives at Greenwich, and is very zealous for the faith as held by the Church. 
He issues a proclamation against heretics, ordering all laws against them 
to be put in execution. He burns all the Bibles he can lay his hands upon. 
Thomas Bayfield, a monk, is discovered to have a New Testament in his 
possession, and is brought before Bishop Tunstal, of London. In St. Paul's. 
Tunstal strips off his gown, and while the poor monk is kneeling at the 
altar the bishop strikes him a blow witli his crozier, which knocks him 
senseless to the floor. Out in Smithfield, where the cattle-dealers market 
their beeves, he is chained to the stake. The wood is green, and for 
lialf an hour he roasts in the flames. The fire curls around his left arm 




THE CARDINAL S HAT AND SEAL. 



and burns till it drops from the body. All the while the brave-heaited 
man is praying for Sir Thomas More and Bishop Tunstal, and all his 
enemies. 

Another of Sir Thomas's victims is James Baiuham, who is burned 
on the Smithfield muck-heaps. 



254: 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



" The Lord forgive Sir Thomas," he prays, as he stands there clothed 
with flames. Plis face is radiant. " I feel no moi-e pain than when lying 
on a bed of down ; the fire is as a bed of roses," he cries. 

Thomas Bilney is a student at Cambridge. One day a Testament 




MOIilC S HOUSE. 



in Latin, translated by Erasmus, falls into his hands; he has seen Latin 
Testaments before, but none with such smooth-flowing sentences as that. 
A verse arrests his attention. 

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, tliat Christ 
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." 

If that is true, then fasting, and penance, and masses, and indulgences 
are of no account. He begins to preacli, and brings Hugh Latimer and 
many others to liis way of thinking. He travels through the country do- 
ing good, giving alms, sharing his humble fare with the poor, till lie is 
imprisoned. He renounces his doctrines, and is released ; but his con- 
science troubles him, and he begins to preach again. He is as gentle as 
a lamb. He has nothing to say against the Pope, or the bishops, or tlie 
Church ; but he preaches the trutli as he understands it, not as taught by 
the Pope and bishops. It is private judgment. Sir Thomas More cannot 
permit that, and sends an order to have him burned. It is at Norwich, 
just outside the city walls, that the officers cliain him to the stake. He 
smiles upon them. There is no anger in his heart toward any one. The 
people love him, he is so sweet and tender, and they scowl upon the friars 
who have maliciously accused him. 

It is a strange request which the friars make of him : 

" Oh, Master Bilney ! the people tliink that we have caused you to be 



THE MAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWAIN. 



251 



pi;t to death, and tliej will no longer give to us, if voii d3 not speak to 
tiiem in our behalf." 

The man, with the light of heaven on his face, turns to the peoi)le : 

" I P'"aj joii, good people, be never tlie worse to these men for my 
sake. They are not the authors of my death." 

Not they— but the Lord High Chancellor, Sir Tliomas More, as zealous 
for the Church as Paul when he held the clothes of those who hurled 
stoTies at Stephen just outside of the gate at Jerusalem. Another day 
will come to Sir Thomas. Now he is burning the meek-hearted man who 
stands for tlie right of pi-ivate judgment. The time will come when he 
will assert Ms right of private judgment, and tlien we shall see what will 
happen to him. 

One hundred years have passed since the monks dug up the bones of 
Doctor Wicklif. If there was little liberty in the world then, there is 
very little now, although a century has gone. If the monks and priests 




SIR THOMAS MORE. 



were corrupt then, it is certain that many of them are leading scandalous 
lives in these days of Henry VIIT. The bishops have their courts, and 
punish with a light penance a crime in a pi-iest, which is atoned for only 



256 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



l)y death if committed by common people. Thomas Wyseman, a priest, 
Avlio has led a scandalous life, is sentenced to do penance by offering a 
wax-candle at the altar of St. Bartholomew's Church, and say five Pater- 
nosters, five Ave - Mai-ias, 
and as many Credos. Hav- 
ing done this, he pays six 
shillings and eightpence 
into the Bishops' Coui't, 
and is a1)solved, and can 
go on saying mass and ab- 
solving the people. But 
the same crime committed 
by one of the people is 
punished with death. 

There is a long list of 
priests wdio are leading 
scandalous lives : The vic- 
ars of Led burg, of Bras- 
myll, of Stow, of Clonic, 
the parson of Wentnor, of 
Rusburg, of Plowden, the 
Dean of Pamtsburg, and 
many more. 
The people are losing confidence in priests who live in sin, or who can 
atone for sin by offering a wax -candle. They are losing faith in the 
Church that makes atonement so easy for a priest, while it metes out death 
to everybody else. The rhymers write ballads lampooning the priests. 

"I, Collin Clout, 
As I go about, 
And wondering as I walk, 
I hear the people talk; 
Men say for silver and gold 
Mitres are bought and sold. 
A straw for God's curse ! 
What are thev the worse? 




THE GUILDHALL, NORAVICH. 



"What care the clergy though Gill sweat, 
Or Jack of the Noke? 
The poor people they yoke 
With sumners and citations 
And excommunications. 



THE MAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWAIN. 257 

" But Doctor B;(ll;mis 
Parum litteratus 
Dominus Doctoratus, 
At the broad-gate liouse, 
Doctor Daupatus 
Ami Bachelor Bacheleratus, 
Drunken as a mouse, 
At the ale-house, 
Taketh his pillian and his cup 
At the good ale-tap, 
For lack of good wine. 



" Sueli temporal war and hate, 
As now is made of late 
Against Holy Church estate. 
Or to maintain good quarrels : 
The laymen call them barrels 
Full of gluttony and hypocrisy. 
What counterfeits and paints, 
As they were very saints I" 

It is the year 1547. Fourteen years have passed since Anne Boleyn's 
coronation. A great man, witli a round, bloated face, double chin, coarse 
features, fat paunch, weak and helpless, with an offensive ulcer on one of 
his legs, lies in bed. A fair-looking, kind-hearted woman sits by his side, 
taking care of him. The man is fifty-six years old, and has been a king 
thirty-six years. His will has been supi-eme ; he has had things his own 
way, but can have them no longer, for one mightier than he is about to 
make him a visit — the king of terrors — Death. 

We saw him at the Field of the Cloth of Gold ; we saw him putting 
away Katherine of Aragon, and marrying Anne Boleyn. Three years 
later, he chopped off Anne's head, and married Jane Seymour the next 
day, who died the next year in giving birth to a son — happily for her. 
He married Anne of Cleves, and was divorced from her. Then he mar- 
ried Katherine Howard, in July, 1540, and cut her head off, February 
12th, 1542 ; and married Katherine Parr, in July, 1543 — the woman who 
is sitting by his side and soothing his pain. 

Important changes have taken place during these years, in which great 
things have been unwittingly done for liberty by this man, so powerful 
once, so weak and helpless now. The changes have been brought about 
through his passion for Anne Boleyn. 

The timid Pope — destitute of conscience or moral principle ; afraid of 
Charles ; afraid of Henry — promised to grant him a divorce from Katlv* 

17 



258 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




TIIK TOWER. 



erine, and then failed to keep his promise. Archbishop Cranmer, speak- 
ing for the bishops of Enghmd, pronounces the mari'iage with Katherine 
illegal, and sanctions his marriage with Anne. The Pope declares that 
the bishop cannot make such a decision — all power belongs to him. The 
Parliament will see about that, and declares that the Pope has no au- 
thority in England. The bishops decide, in their sessions, that the Pope 
has no more authority in England than any other foreign bishop, which is 
none at all. 

The king has always appointed the bishops, and Parliament makes the 
king the head of the Church — thus setting the Pope aside. Parliament 
declares that Elizabeth, and not Mary, is the true heir to the crown, be- 
cause the marriage of Henry and Katherine was illegal ; and they require 
all the nobles and bishops to swear to support the law. If any one re- 
fuses, he shall be deemed guilty of high treason. Sir Thomas More, who 
has resigned his office to Thomas Cromwell, whom Ave saw with Wolsey 
at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, is living at Greenwich. His daughter 
Margaret is married to Mr. Roper, and lives with him. He is called wpon 
,to appear at Lambeth Palace and take the oath. He comes up the Thames 
in a boat, with his daughter's husband, and appears before the commission. 
He is willing to take part of the oath — to support Elizabeth whenever she 
may come to the throne ; but he will not swear that the marriage of Hen- 
ry and Katherine was illegal. He sets up his private judgment, just as 



THE JNIAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWAIN. 



259 



Thomas Bilney and Thomas Bay fold set up theirs. It was for having a 
New Testament in his possession, for preaching the truth as he under- 
stood it, not as dictated by the l*ope, that Sir Thomas sent the good man 
to his death ; and now he sets up his own judgment against the law of 
the realm. It is treason, to be punished with death ; and he goes to the 
Bloody Tower, a prisoner, entering by the Traitor's Gate, with Bishop 
Fisher, an old man eighty years of age, who also will not take the oath. 
In Westminster Hall, where Anne Boleyn sat down to the grand banquet, 
Sir Thomas has his trial. He will not swear, and is found guilty of high 
treason. 

At the Tower stairs, he bids farewell to his beloved daughter Mar- 
garet, who has affectionately waited upon him in prison. 

At nine o'clock on the morning of the 6th of July, 1535, Sir Thomas 
and the sheriff come out from the Tower. A great company has assem- 
bled to see him executed. Some of the people do not like him. They 








.:r,>i-^^-/^; 



THK BLOODY TOWER. 



remember how he has sent many a poor man to the stake, and there is no 
pity in some of the faces around him; but there are others wlio are sorry 
to see him suffer for conscience' sake. He goes with a brave lieart. His 
life has been sweet and pure. The scaffold stairs are weak. 



260 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



" See me safe up, Mr. Sheriff. As for the coming down, I can take 
care of mj'self," he savs, with a smile on his face. 

" I ask your praj^ers, good people. I die in the faith of the Holy 

Catholic Church. I am a faithful 
servant to God and to the king." 
He kneels, and repeats a Psalm. 
The sheriff kneels to him, and 
asks foi'giveness for what he is 
about to do. 

" Pluck up spirit, man, and be 
not afraid to do thine office. My 
neck is short. Take heed how you 
strike." 

He himself ties a handkerchief 
over his eyes, and lays aside his 
white beard. 

" Pity it should be cut ; it never 
has committed treason." 

They are his last words. He 
lays his head upon the block, and 
all is over. 

" What measure ye mete it shall 
be measured to 3'ou again." 

Many times those lips, motion- 
less now, have sentenced men and 
women to death for reading the 
Xew Testament — for not believing 
that tlie bread of the sacrament is 
Christ's body. They were heretics, and died for conscience' sake. Sir 
Thomas dies for conscience' sake, not as a heretic, but as a rebel, dis- 
obedient to government. 

The king goes on burning Catholics who will not recognize him as 
head of the Church, and heretics who say that there is no purgatory. But 
amidst all this burning and hanging a great revolution is going on. The 
people have lost confidence in the Church. Tliere are more than six hun- 
dred monasteries and nunneries in England, and the country is overran by 
a set of lazy monks and priests and nuns, who own immense estates. The 
Pope has always had control of the monasteries ; but now he has no au- 
thority in England. The king is the head of the Church; and commission- 
ers are appointed to visit tlie monasteries. Tliey report them rich, and 




SIR THOMAS MORK AND HIS DAUGHTER MAR- 
GARET IN THE TOWER. 



THE MAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWAIN. 



261 



that the monks, friars, and abbots lead scandalous Vives. Parliannent makes 
a law suppressing them. The lands, jewels, and estates are seized ; and 
the men and women, who have been living on the people so long, are 
turned adrift, to get their living as thej can. The king fills his coffers, 
the nobles, dukes, earls, and baronets take good care to fill their own pock- 
ets, with the spoils. One woman. Widow Cornwallis, makes a pudding for 
the king, which is so good, with so many plums in it, that he, in return, 
makes her a present of all the lands of an abbey. 

Workmen tear down tlie monasteries to get the lead and iron ; and the 
stately stone edifices, which have stood so long, soon are heaps of ruins. 

Though Stephen Gardiner and Edmund Bonner, the nobles, the king, 
are spoiling the abbeys, they are at the same time burning heretics. 



1 




1 


UW tJt/ 


-" Vi " 


'•^ ^1, 




•VI 


ivmrT' 




^yl§M 



SMITHFIELD IN 1546. THIi BURNING OF ANNE ASKEW. 



Anne Askew is arrested for not believing that the bread of the sacra- 
ment is the flesh of Christ. She is brought befoi-e the Loi-d Mayor of 
London. 

" You do not believe that the bread becomes Christ's body ?" 

" No, your honor." 

" What if a mouse should eat the bread after it is consecrated ?" the 
mayor asks. 

"What say you to it, ray lord V Anne asks, in return. 

" I sav that the mouse is damned." 



'2Q'. 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



"Alas! poor mouse !" 

The Lord Mayor sees that he has made a little mistake. 
Anne is put upon the rack in the Tower, and two of the questioners 
throw off their gowns, and work tlie winches till her limbs are all but 
torn from her body. They carry her in a chair to the place of burn- 
hig, at the Muck-heap of Smithtield, and bind her to the stake with a 
chain. Two others are to suffer with her. The executioner fastens bags 
of powder to their bodies. The Lord Mayor, the Duke of Norfolk, and 
the Earl of Bedford sit upon a seat by St. Bartholomew's Church, but, 
though several rods away, are afraid that the powder will hurt them. 

Anne Askew has a counte- 
nance like that of an angel. She 
smiles upon the executioners. 

" Plere is a pardon if you will 
recant," says the sheriff. 

" I came not here to deny my 
Lord." 

With these heroic words upon 
her lips, she gives her life for lib- 
erty. 

But notwithstanding all these 
burnings, liberty is advancing. 
The king has ordered that the 
Bible, in English, sliall be in ev- 
ery church in England. Desks 
have been put up, and the books 
chained to them. All day long 
the people stand there hearing 
them read, and as the reading 
goes on they think for themselves, and heretics are multiplying. 

The woman who sits by the bedside of tlie king — ^Katherine Parr — 
secretly befriends those whom Stephen Gardiner and Edmund Bonner 
have thrust into prison, and they resolve that she too shall suffer; but she 
finds out what is going on, and cares for Henry very tenderly. Gardiner 
comes with his accusation. 

"Get out, you knave!" is the salutation which he receives when he 
makes his business known. 

Henry knows that he cannot get well. Jane Seymours son, Edward, 
is ten years old. Who shall conduct affairs till he is old enough to wear 
the crown ? There are two great parties in England now — tlie old party 




ALL DAY LONG THK PEOPLE HEAD IT. 



THE MAN WHO SPLIT THE CHURCH IN TWAIN. 



263 



and the new. The old party do not wish to have the Bible in the churclies, 
and they believe that the Pope is their head of the Cluirch. The new 
party accept the king as head of the 
Church, and the Bible, and not the 
Pope, as authority in matters of re- 
ligion. Henry selects men of the 
new party to direct affairs. Edward 
is to be king, and after him Mary 
and Elizabetli are to be lieirs to the 
throne. 

On the 28th of Januar}', 1547, 
the despot who through life has been 
trampling upon the rights of men, 
who has cut off the heads of his wives 
and nobles, who has plundered the peo- 
ple at will through an obsequious and 
time-serving Parliament, yields his sceptre to one mightier than himself. 
He has been a wicked man, a tyrant; yet, through his wickedness and 
tyrann}', liberty shall dawn upon the oppressed and suffei-ing people of 
England, and, through them, upon all the woi'ld. 




GOLD MEUAL OF HENKY VIII. 



264: THE STORY OF LIBEUTY. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE QUEEN WHO BURNED HERETICS. 

ON the 1st of October, 1553, Mary Tndor, daughter of Henry VIII. 
and Katherine of Aragon, is crowned Queen of England. There is 
a grand procession, and Mary rides in a gilded coach drawn by six horses. 
She is thirty-seven years old, small in statui'e, thin and pale. Her eyes 
are bright and sparkling, but she has a voice deep and resonant like a 
man's. She wears a blue-velvet dress trimmed with ermine, and a richly 
embroidered mantle ornamented with pearls. A golden fillet encircles 
her brow, set with diamonds and precious stones, and so heavy that she 
has to support her head with her hand. 

Mary is very religious. She counts her beads, and repeats her Pater- 
nosters and Ave-Marias regularly, and never fails to attend mass. 

In the procession is her half-sister Elizabeth, Anne Boleyn's daughter. 
She is twenty years old, the picture of health. 

There have been stirring times in England since midsummer. Mary's 
half-brother Edward, Jane Seymour's son, died on the 6th of July. He 
had been king six years. He had no children to succeed him. Then 
came the question as to who was entitled to the crown. Henry made 
a will, and declared that after Edward, Mary was to have it; and after 
Mary, Elizabeth ; and after Elizabeth, the descendants of his sister Mary 
— the Mary whom he compelled to marry the old Louis XII. of France, 
but who, as soon as Louis died, married Charles Brandon. 

Mary and Charles have a granddaughter — Jane Grey — a lovely girl, 
seventeen years old, and just married. Edward wished the crown to go 
to her, and the day after Edward died, the council proclaimed Jane Grey 
queen. She was in the country, and when word came to her that Ed- 
ward was dead, and that she was to be queen, she burst into tears. She 
did not desire to wear the crown, and to be burdened with all the cares 
and responsibilities of State. 

Not so with Mary. She wished to be queen. She sent word to the 
council that the crown belonged to her. There was a great party that 



THE QUEEN WHO BURNED HERETICS. 



265 



wished her to be queen, and she was proclaimed in August. Her party 
has succeeded, and she wears the crown. There is eating and drinking 
and great rejoicing by all good Catholics, for Mary is a devoted friend of 
the Church. Some of her councillors are hard-hearted, revengeful men. 
They suffered under Henry, were obliged to keep quiet while Edward was 
king, but now the}' are in power, and will make their power felt. 

The news of what is going on in England reaches Charles V., who is in 
the Netherlands, He has been negotiating a marriage for his son Philip 
with the daughter of the King of Portugal ; but here is a chance to 
make a better bargain. He will bring about a match between Philip and 
the woman to whom he himself was once betrothed, and whom he agreed 
to marry when she was twelve years of age, but saw fit to break the agree- 
ment. Mary is thirty-seven, and Philip twenty-seven. 

Charles sends Count Egmont to England to make a proposal. Mary 
accepts the offer, but many of the English people do not like the match. 
" No foreigner for us !" they shout, and Sir Thomas Wyatt heads a party 
and raises an insurrection ; but Mai-y's troops soon suppress it, and Wyatt 
and many of the men who joined him are executed. Jane Grey's hus- 
band is one. Jane looks out of her prison in the Tower, and sees his head- 
less body in a cart. The executioner then comes for her. She walks to 
the scaffold with a firm step, and ascends the stairs as lightly as if going 
to her chamber to a night's repose. There are no tears on her cheek, 
nor is there any trembling of her eyelids. She reads a prayer, and then 
ties a handkerchief over her eyes. 

" What shall I do ?" she asks of 
the executioner. 

" Kneel by the block." 

" Where is it ?" 

She feels for it, lays her head 
upon it, to receive the fatal stroke. 

" Lord, into thy hands I commit 
my spirit." 

The axe falls, and the head of 
the brave girl drops from the body. 
W^hat has she done to merit such a 

fate? Nothing. A great political party has used her to advauce its own 
interests; that is all. Perhaps Mary breathes easier when she hears that 
her cousin is dead, and perhaps not, for on this same " Black Monday," 
as people call it, from eighty to one hundred men are hanged— some in 
St. Paul's church -vard, some on London Bridge, some at Charing Cross, 
17" 




THE BEHKADING-BLOCK. 



266 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




others at "Westminster. The next week she liaiigs forty -eight more; and 
a few days later, twenty-two common men, besides several officers. 

Now comes the an-est 
of her sister Elizabeth, 
who is in the country, 
sick. She is brought to 
London, and taken to the 
Tower in a boat, entering 
it through the dark and 
gloomy Traitor's Gate. 
Mai-y is determined that 
Elizabe-th's head shall 
roll upon the pavement 
in the Tower yard ; but 
Bishop Gardiner and 
Bishop Bonner, and oth- 
er men among Mary's 
councillors, much as they 
wish it, see that it will 
not do to cut off the 
head of one on whom 
the people have already set their affections, and who has had nothing 
whatever to do with the insurrection. 

On the 20th of July, 1554, a fleet of Spanish ships — one hundred and 
fifty or more — sails into the harbor of Southampton. Philip of Spain 
has come to be married, with a great train of Spanish noblemen, and 
six thousand troops. The English noblemen meet him at Southampton. 
Philip is accompanied by a gray-bearded man, sixty years of age, who 
has done a deal of fighting for Charles V. — the Duke of Alva, who has 
a hard countenance and a harder heart. His eyes have a cruel look. We 
shall see him again, 

Mar>' is at Winchester impatiently waiting for Philip, He sets out 
on Monday morning, in a driving rain-storm, on horseback, and splashes 
through the mud, reaching Winchester at sunset. He goes at once to 
the cathedral, and listens to a Te Deum. In the evening he goes to the 
bishop's palace, where Mary, with a company of ladies, is waiting. She 
never has seen her future husband. He enters the hall, and she beholds 
a small man with spindle-legs, small body, a broad forehead, blue eyes, 
large mouth, heavy underlip, and protruding jaw. He has a deep sepul- 
chral voice; but Mary could sing the bass quite as well as he, for she has 



TRAITOK S GATK. 



THE QUEEN WHO BURNED HERETICS. 



267 



a tremendous voice, lie is proud and haughty, and cares nothing for men 
except to use them ; but on this occasion he kisses liis wife that is to be, 
and not only her, but all her ladies. He has already been once married 
— in 1544, to Maria of Portugal, when he was only sixteen. The next 
year a son was born to him. One day, soon after the birth of the babe, 
there was a grand spectacle in front of the royal palace at Valladolid — 
the burning of a lot of heretics by the men who ask questions — and Maria's 
nurses left her alone, that they might see the men and women roasted to 




death; and while they were gone Maria helped herself to so much water- 
melon that she sickened and died the next day. 

The marriage between Mary and Philip is consummated, and the wed- 
ded pair enter London beneath triumphal arches and amidst the blazing 
of bonfires, the roaring of cannon, and ringing of bells. 

Mary is firmly seated on her throne. She is married to the son of 
the mightiest monarch in the world. She has put out of the way her 



268 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



political enemies ; and now she will begin with heretics. Her father 
Henry, through his guilty passion for Anne Boleyn, severed England from 
the Church ; she will bring it back again. Men shall no longer think for 
themselves, but shall be in subjection to the Pope. There shall be no 




WINCHESTER. 



more reading of the Bible. The thousands of married ministers shall be 
turned out of their pulpits. Heresy shall be crushed out. In 1547, all 
acts punishing heretics were repealed ; but now Parliament restores them. 
On St. Andrew's Day, Nov. 30, 1554, a high mass is sung in "Westmin- 
ster Abbey. Philip, the Duke of Alva, and another great don from Spain 
(Ruy Gomez), with six hundred Spanish grandees, the Knights of the Gar- 
ter, the English nobles, the archl)ishop and bishops whom Mary has ap- 
pointed in place of those appointed l)y Henry and Edward, whom she has 
turned out, are there, dressed in gorgeous apparel. After mass, they have 
dinner; and then there is another gathering in Westminster Hall. On a 
platform, in three golden cliairs, are seated Mary, Philip, and Cardinal 



THE QUEEN WHO BURNED HERETICS. 



269 



Pole, the Pope's ambassador. Above them is a canopy of gold. The 
bishop sits near by. The Hall is the place where the Commons meet, and 
the members are in their places. 

Stephen Gardiner, Lord Chancellor, in his big wig, bows to Mary and 
Philip, kneels, and presents a petition to the Pope's legate, requesting hia 
forgiveness for all that has 
been done against his au- 
thority in the past, and 
praying that the nation may 
be taken back again into 
the bosom of the Church. 

Cardinal Pole rises to 
reply for the Pope. Mary 
and Philip and all the rest 
fall on their knees, and re- 
ceive the absolution which 
the Pope gives through the 
<'-ardinal. 

" Amen ! Amen !" 

The voices of the as- 
sembled multitude echo 
amidst the oaken rafters. 
The organ peals ; the choir 
sing a Te Demn. Tears 
of joy roll down the cheeks 
of the queen. Her heart's 
desires are gratified. The 
nation is once more in the 
fold of the Church. She 
has been the one to lead 
it back. Some persons in 
the assembly, in their ec- 
stasy and joy, throw them- 
selves into the arms of 
their friends. 

"We are reconciled to 
God. Blessed day for Eng- 
land," they say. 

Cardinal Pole, sitting in his chamber at midnight, writes to the Pope : 
"Vhat great things mav the Church, our mother, the bride of Christ, 




A GRANDEE. 



270 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



fancy for herself ! O piety ! O ancient faith ! this is the seed the Lord 
hatli blessed !" 

The letter reaches Rome, and the Pope etnbi-aces the messenger, falls 
on his knees, says a Pater -noster, gives orders to ring all the bells in 
Rome, to fire the cannon of the Castle of St. Angelo, light bonfires, to 
give indulgences and pardons to all who want them. 

The Pope has given his absolution, and the nation is once more back 
in his fold. But how about those monasteries and abbeys which Henry 
tore down ? How about the lands and estates that were seized and di- 
vided between the crown and the great men, and given to women who 
made good puddings ? They must be given up. The Pope demands it. 

The Members of Parlia- 
ment have been willing 
to fall on their knees and 
receive absolution, but, 
having obtained it, con- 
clude to hold on to their 
spoils. They are willing 
that heresy shall be root- 
ed out, but they will not 
let the Pope have author- 
ity in England. The 
queen shall still be head 
of the Church. They 
are good Catholics, but 
they will not change 
Henry's will, and after 
Mary the crown shall go 
to Elizabeth. Philip wants to be crowned. Charles urges it, the Pope 
desires it ; but there are some sturdy Englishmen who say, " No foreigner 
for us," and Philip is obliged to smother his resentment. 

The Commons, the Lords, the great men have submitted to the Pope 
in behalf of the nation, and now the people themselves must submit. 

" If any one before Easter, 1555, does not acknowledge the authority 
of the Pope, he shall suffer for it," is the edict. 

"Come and register your names," is the command given by the priests; 
and registers are provided in every parish. 

There shall be no more reading the Bible, nor Prayer-books; no 
more liberty of conscience; no more thinking for themselves. 

Stephen Gardiner opens his heresy court in St. Mary's Church, South 




ST. MAKY OVERT, SOUTHWARK. 



THE QUEEN WHO BURNED HERETICS. 271 

wark. Goodwin, Bonner, Timstal, and three other bishops are the jndges. 
The court is the Inquisition under another name. There are several men 
for whose blood tliey ai-e thirsting. Mr. John Rogers is one. He is a 
preacher — a learned man ; and when Tvndal and Coverdale were over in 
Antwerp translating the Bible into English, he went over and aided them, 
and is therefore an arch -heretic. Besides, he went to Wittenberg, and 
studied with that monk who, when a boy, sung for his breakfast — Martin 
Luther. He married a German wife, and has ten children. The Pope 
does not allow priests to marry. He was preaching at St. Paul's when 
Mary came to the throne ; he could have fled : but he is an Englishman, 
and has done nothing contrary to his conscience. He will sta}', come what 
will. He has been a prisoner for many months in Newgate, with Mr. 
Hooper, of Gloucestei'. 

The world does not often see a man like John Hooper. He was edu- 
cated at Oxford, and was a Bachelor of Arts two years before that meet- 
ing on the Field of the Cloth of Gold, and became a monk ; but after 
reading the Bible he left the monastery. When Henry was king, he had 
an interview with Stephen Gardiner, who was astonished at his learning. 
He had to flee to France, however; but when Edward came to the throne, 
lie returned, and Edward made him Bishop of Gloucester. When every- 
body else was getting rich on the spoils of the monasteries. Bishop Hooper 
Avas making himself poor by feeding the hungry. He sat down with them 
at the table to let them know that he loved them. But he is a heretic ; be- 
sides, lie is married. For a long while Gardiner has had him in prison — 
confined in a room with robbers and murderers, with nothing but straw to 
lie upon, and an old counterpane for a covering. He and Mr, Rogers are 
brought before the court, and condemned to be burned. 

" Shall I not be allowed to bid farewell to my wife and children i" 
Rogers asks. 

" No," is the savage reply of Gardiner. 

It is four o'clock in the mornino- Februarv 4th. The frost is on the 
window-panes. In the cold and gloomy prison Rogers is quietly sleeping. 
The jailer's wife taps him on the shoulder. 

" Bishop Bonner is waiting for you." 

He rises and goes out into the hall, where Bonner is waiting to de- 
grade him from his oflice as a priest. That done, Rogers bids farewell to 
Hooper, and the sheriff leads him out. It is still dark ; but the people 
have heard that he is to be burned, and a crowd has assembled to see 
him die. 

" He will flinch," say his enemies. 



272 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



His wife and children are waiting for him, and though Gardiner has 
said that he sha,ll not see them, he kisses them, and goes on with a firm 
step to the stake. The executioner binds tlie chain around him and heaps 
the fagots. In the dim gray of the winter morning the people see him 
standing there, looking up into heaven, with a smile upon his face. 

" You can have the queen's pardon if you will recant," says Sir Robert 
Kochester, who has come to report his behavior to Gardiner. But he has 
nothing to recant. 

The fire curls around him. lie bathes his hands in the flames as if it 




STREET IN LONDON IN THK TIME OF MART. 



were cold water. They who look to see him beg for mercy hear nothing 
but prayer and praise, while those who expected he would stand iirm rend 
the air with their shouts of joy. 

Ah, Mary ! out from those applauding cries shall come liberty to the 



THE QUEEN WHO BURNED HERETICS. 



273 




BKARING FAGOTS. 



human race ! Go on, Gardiner, Bonner, and Tunstal, with your court of 
heresy ; send men and women to the stake — for the brief period of your 
power; but every fire which you thus kindle 
shall be a beacon to light the human race in 
its march to freedom ! 

" Hooper is an obstinate, false, detestable 
heretic ; let him be burned in the city which 
he has infected with his pernicious doctrines," 
is the oi'der for the burning of the aged bishop. 

Mr. Gardiner has made a mistake. If he 
wants to put a stop to heresy, he had better 
not send Bishop Hooper to the city where 
everybody loves him as children love a father, 
where he has fed the hungry and clothed the 
poor. Surrounded by guards, he rides out of 
London on horseback. He is old, feeble, and 
wasted almost to a skeleton with his long im- 
prisonment and with sleeping on his bed of straw. He eats dinner at a 
tavern where a woman rails at heretics ; but he is so tender, so childlike 
and forgiving that she too becomes a child before him, and with tears begs 
his forgiveness, and does what she can for him. Love is more potent than 
fire to subdue the human heart. A great crowd awaits his coming. For 
a mile outside of Gloucester gates the road is filled with people. It is 
evening, and the sheriff will give him one more night on earth ; and the 
people go to their homes, wondering if their good old bishop will stand 
firm at the final hour. 

Sir Anthony Kingston, who has often heard the bishop preach, is sent 
by Gardiner to see him burned. In the morning Sir Anthony enters the 
prison. 

" Do you know me ?" Sir Anthony asks. 

" Oh yes, Sir Anthony; and I am glad to see you in such good health. 
I have come here to lay down my life for the truth." 

"Would you not like to live ?" 

" I can live ; but I never should enjoy life at the expense of my future 
welfare. You would not have me blaspheme my Saviour by denying 
him, would you ? I trust that I shall bear with fortitude all the torments 
which my enemies may be able to inflict." 

Sir Anthony is not a hard-hearted man, and the tears sti'eain from his 
eyes. 

" I shall be sorry to see you die " 

IS 



274 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

" It is my duty to stand for the trntli." 

A little blind boy who has heard the bishop preach comes to bid him 
farewell, and he falls on his knees at the bishop's feet. 

" I am blind, but yon have opened the eyes of my soul. May the good 
Lord be with you, and bring you into heaven !" 

The good old man lays his withered hand upon the head of the boy 
and blesses him. A bigoted man comes in to revile him. 

" You are a wicked heretic." 

The man who has fed the hungry and clothed the naked makes no 
reply. The mayor, who has sat under the bishop's preaching, comes with 
the sheriff to conduct him to the stake. Gladly would the mayor give 
him his liberty, but then he, quite likely, w'ould be roasted alive, if he 
were to do so humane an act. 

" I could have had my life, but I would not take it here to lose it in 
the next world. Please, Mr. Sheriff, make the fire a hot one, so that it 
may be quickly over." 

It is nine o'clock in the morning. The winter air is chill, but all of 
Gloucester, and the people from the surrounding countr}', have gathered 
to see their dear old friend lay down his life. He is weak and feeble 
from long imprisonment. He has ridden all the way from London on 
horseback, and he walks with a feeble step, supporting himself with a 
cane ; but how brave of heart ! He looks round upon the multitude with 
a tmile on his face. He would like to speak to his old friends, but the 
sheriff will not let him. Stephen Gardiner and Bishop Bonner will have 
no farewell address to stir the hearts of heretics ; but those lips, so elo- 
quent once, were never so eloquent as by their silence now. 

The bishop, when he arrives at the stake, throws his arms around it 
as if it were a friend. He kneels and prays. 

The sheriff holds a paper in his hand. 

" Here is a pardon, if you will recant." 

"A pardon if I will recant! Take it away !" 

The sheriff strips him of his garments, ties bags of powder under his 
arms, fastens a chain around his neck, another around his waist, a third 
around his legs, piles the fagots, and applies the torch. 

At the windows, on the house-tops, in trees, are the people. In a room 
over the college gates are some priests looking down to see the heretic 
burned. It is a damp and windy morning. The fagots are wet. The 
smoke smothers the martyr — the fire scorches and blisters his legs, but 
does not touch his body, for the wind blows the flame aside. 

" More fire 1" 



THE QUEEN WHO BURNED HERETICS. 



275 




The people hear the bishop 
calling from the pillar of smoke. 
The sheriff heaps on more fagots, 
and the withered hands, reach- 
ing out from the tire, draws them 
closer. A handful of flame leaps 
up and scorches liis face. The 
hands wave to and fro. 

" For God's love, good peo- 
ple, give rae more fire !" 

The minutes go by. His legs 
are burned to a cinder. 
'' More fire !" he cries. 
Once more the fagots are 
piled, the fiaines leap up, and 
the powder explodes. 

" Lord Jesus, receive mj 
spirit !" 

Those who stand neai-est hear 
the words — the last that fall 
npon their ears ; yet still his lips 

are moving. Three-quarters of an hour have passed since the fagots 
were lighted, and still the scorched hands are beating on his breast. 

It is over. He who spread the table for the poor, whose every act was 
for the good of man, whose life was pure and holy, who was the imperson- 
ation of good-will to men, is nothing but a cinder now. He will preach 
no more heresy. So, perhaps, Stephen Gardiner and Mary and the priests, 
with hate in their hearts, may think ; but when the sun goes down at night 
there are more heretics in Gloucester than in the morning. 

At this same day and hour there is a similar scene in the town of 
Hadleio-h, not far from London. Kev. Rowland Taylor, the minister 

who has preached there, has been m 
prison a year. It is two o'clock in 
the morning when he is brought out 
from his cell. The good man's fam- 
ily are on the watch, by St. Botolph's 
Church. All through the weary 
winter night they have stood there. 
They hear the tramp of feet — dis- 



HADLEIGH CHURCH. 




ST. BOTOLPH S CHURCH, ALDGATE. 



cern a bodv of men. 



276 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




" Oil, mother, there 
they are ; there is fa- 
ther!" cries the daughter 
Elizabeth. 

" Rowland, are you 
there f the wife asks. 

" I am here." 

The sheriff is not al- 
together a brutal man. 

" Stop a moment, and 
let him speak to his wife!" 
is his command to his 



nRIDGE AT nAT)LKIGH. 



men. 

The minister takes his 
little Mary in his arms, presses her to his bosom, feels once more her hands 
upon his neck. He puts her down, and kneels with his family, and all 
repeat the Lord's Prayer. Then he kisses thein. 

" Fai-ewell, dear wnfe ; be of good comfort. God will be a father to 
my children." 

" God bless thee, Mary dear, and make thee his servant." 

" God bless thee, Elizabeth ; stand strong in Christ." 

Once more he presses them to his heart, feels the scalding tears drop 
upon his cheek in the darkness. 

The streets of the old town of Hadleigh are croM'ded with people, who 
have come to see their old pastor die. They cannot see his face, for the 
sheriff has covered it with a hood, with two holes in it, so that he can see 
without his face being seen. At a foot-bridge a poor man, with his five 
children, kneels before him. 

" God help thee, Doctor 
Taylor, and succor thee, as 
thou hast many a time help- 
ed me." 

He passes the almshouse. 
Many times has he been into 
it to give things to the poor. 
The people are looking out 
of the window to see their 
old friend. 

" Is the blind man yet 
alive f Mr. Tavlor asks. almshouses at kapleigh. 




THE QUEEN WHO BURNED HERETICS. 



277 



« Yes." 

" And the poor old blind woman ?" 

" Yes." 

" Here is some money for them ;" and he throws a glove, iu which are 
a few coins, into the window. 

He reaches the stake. No longer will he wear the hood, but tears it 
from his face, and the people see once more the smiling and genial face 
of their dear old pastor. His beard is white, and he is pale from long 
imprisonment. He would speak to the people, but one of the sheriffs 
men rudely thrusts a staff into his mouth. 

They pile the wood around him, and a brutal fellow hurls a stick into 
his face. The blood trickles down his cheeks. 

"Oh, friend, what need of that?" Mr. Taylor mildly asks. 

He is placed in a barrel smeared with pitch. The flames whirl above 
his head, and then a soldier knocks 
out his brains. 

No more heresy, no more private 
opinions in Hadleigh. 

William Hunter, nineteen years 
old, is learning to wea\e silk with 
Thomas Taylor in Londtjn. He 
does not go to mass, as Mary has 
commanded everybody to do on 
Easter-morning, and the priest threat- 
ens to have him up before the bishop. 

"You had better go home for a little season," says his master, hoping 
that if William is ont of the way for a little while the priest will forget 
all about it; and the boy goes home to Brentwood. He strolls nito the 
church, and sees the Bible chained to the desk. Since Mary has come to 
the throne, only the priests are allowed to read it; but William dares to 
open it. 

"Eeadins the Bible ! What riojht have von to read it?" 

It is the shout of the beadle, who opens and shuts the doors. 

" I read it because I like to." 

The beadle runs for the priest, who comes in hot haste. 

" Sirrah ! who gave you leave to read the Bible ?" 

*' I found it here, and I have read it because I wish to." 

*' You have no business with it." 

" 1 intend to read it as long as I live." 

" You are a heretic." 




THK MARTYRS STONE. 



278 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



" No, I am not." 

The priest cannot permit any reading of the Book in his parish, 
and hastens to Esqiiii-e Brown, wlio sends for William's father. 

"Your son is a heretic, 
I hear. Bring him to me 
at once, or I will put you 
into jail." 

" Would you have me seek 
my son to have him burn- 
ed T 

" Go and bnng him." 
The constable soon has 
ll hold of William, who, to give 
him a taste of what is before 
him, puts him in the stocks, 
where he remains twenty-four 
hours, and then brings him to 
Esquire Brown. 

"Is the bread turned to 
flesh when the priest blesses 
it ?" asks the squire. 

" I do not think it is." 
"You are a heretic. Re- 
cant, and I will let you go." 
" If you will let me go, 
and leave me to my own conscience, I will keep my opinions to myself." 
" Will you go to confession ?" 
" No, sir." 

" Put him in the stocks, and feed him on bread and water." 
For two days and two nights he sits there, with a crust of bread and 
cup of water by his side ; but the brave boy will not touch them. The 
bishop comes to make him say that he will go to confession and mass; 
but William refuses to accept liberty on those terms. 
" If you will recant, I will help you on in life." 

" Thank you, bishop ; but I cannot, in my conscience, turn from what 
I believe to be truth." 

" You must go to prison and be burned, if you do not recant." 
" I cannot help it." 

On the 27th of March, 1555, the boy goes to his death. His brothel 
Robert walks by his side to comfort him. 




OLD CHAPEL AT BRENTWOOD. 



THE QUEEN WHO BURNED HERETICS. 



279 



" God be with thee, my son !" savs his father, bidding him farewell. 

" We shall meet again, father." He kneels npoii the fagots and prays. 

*' Here is the queen's pardon if you will recant," says the sheriff. 

" I cannot accept life on those terms." 

" Put the chains around him." 

'^As you are abont to burn here, so shalt thou burn in hell," says a 
bigoted priest. The fagots kindle. 

" Good-bye, William ; be of good cheer." 

"Good-bye, Robert. I fear neither torture nor death. Lord Jesus, 
receive my spirit." So he lays down his life for liberty. 




THE OLD BOCAUDO PRISON, OXFORD. 

Bishops Latimer and Ridley are very obnoxious to Mary. On the 16th 
of October, 1555, they are burned at Oxford. 

Archbishop Cranmer loves life. h\ a moment of weakness he signs 
a paper condemning the Reformation ; bnt he repents of the act, and is 
burned, March 21st, 155G. AVhen the fire rises around liim, he holds his 
right hand in the flames till it is burned to a crisp. 

" This unworthy hand !" he exclaims, and then commits his soul to 
Jesus. 



280 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

The Sheriff uf Oxford makes out his bill to the queen : 

TO BURN LATIMER AND RIDLEY, . , 

JL S. 0. 

For 3 loads of wood fagots 12 

1 load of furze fagots 3 5 

For the carnage of these 4 loads 2 6 

A post 1 4 

2 chains 3 4 

2 staples (> 

4 laborers 2 8 

£1 5 'J 

TO BURN CRAN.MER. £ e i] 

For 100 wood fagots for tlie fiie G 

For 100 and ^ of furze 3 4 

For the carriage of them 8 

For 2 laborers 2 8 

£0 12 8 

Latimer, and Ridley, and Cranmer were heretics. But Mary had an- 
other reason for burning tliem : they had given an opinion in the question 




OLD MARSHALSEA. 



of her mother's divorce. Henry demanded their opinion, and for giving 
it they must be put to death. 

For three years the tires blaze. It is not that Mary has any personal 
hatred toward the men and women whom she causes to be executed. But 
they will not acknowledge that the Pope is the head of the Chui-ch ; they 
do not believe that the bread is changed into the body of Christ when the 
priest blesses it. They think for themselves ; and that is not to be toler- 
ated. It is heresy, to be exterminated. Mary thinks of herself as being 
responsible for the eternal welfare of the people. The Church of Rome 
demands the rooting-out of the heretics, and she must obey, or lose her 



THE QUEEN WHO BURNED HERETICS. 



281 



own soul. Tliousands are cast into prison ; and the poor men and women 
suffer terrible hardships, lying on the cold stones of the Old Marshalsea 




BURNING THE HAND. 



Prison, in London, or in the Bocardo, at Oxford, Families are broken 
up. Orphans beg their bread from door to door, or else starve in the 
streets. By way of warning, some heretics are burned on the hand and 
liberated. Women are compelled to do penance in public, standing all 
day with a lighted torch in their hands, exposed to the insults of a motley 
rabble. No one may succor them — no one take pity. They suffer for 




OLD Paul's cross — riots in 1556. 



conscience' sake. It is the protest of heroic souls in behalf of liberty. 
They will suffer every indignity, and give their bodies to be burned, rather 



282 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



than yield their convicjtions of right and duty. Through such sacrifice 
freedom comes to the human race. 

Does such harshness exterminate heresy ? On the contrarj', the liarsh- 
er the treatment of heretics, the more they multiply. Those who witnesa 




THE martyr's memorial, OXFORD. 

their heroism in death begin to think that there must be something in 
their cause which should command respect. The people are weary with 
the burnings. They begin to murmur. When the priests ascend the pul- 
pit at St. Paul's Cross to preach, the mob hoots them down. 

Philip is tired of England. He intended to be king; but Parliament 
will not let him be crowned. He is only a figure-head — a man of straw, 
Math no voice in public affairs. He is tired of Mary ; she is almost old 
enough to be his mother — pale, weak, sickly, querulous — always repeat- 
ing her prayers. He is gross in all his tastes. He loves bacon-fat, and 
can eat a dish of it at a meal. He cannot gratify all his tastes in Eng- 
land ; he will cross the Channel to Brussels, and visit his father. He bids 
Mary farewell, promising with his lips soon to return, but intending never 
to set foot in Enirlaud a«;aiu unless he can be kino;. We shall see him at 
Brussels. 



HOW LIBERTY BEGAN IN FRANCE. 



283 



CHAPTER XIX. 

HOW LIBERTY BEGAN IN FRANCE. 



^^IIIIITY 3'ears have passed since Doctor Luther nailed his paper upon 
J- the door of the Wittenberg: church. Durinsc this time men have 
been thinking for themselves in France as well as in Germany. In the 
old town of Meanx men first begcin to be independent in thought. It was 
a wicked place, and the 



priests were no better than 
the people — drinking wine 
and leading dissolute lives. 
One day a man came 
to Meanx brino-ino; a Bible 
which a priest — James Le- 
fevre — had translated into 
the French language. He 
told the people that they 
must repent of their wrong- 
doing and live rii>;hteouslv, 
and preached So faithfully 
tiiat in a short time the 
place became one of the 
most orderly in all France. 
Instead of swearing, the 
peasants sung psalms. In- 
stead of carousing after the 
work of the day was over, U^^^ 
they held prayer- meetings. ' 

Some of the peasants be- 
came preachers, and went into other towns, and so the new religion be- 
gan to spread. One of those who accepted the new faith was Bernard 
Palissy, a poor potter. He could set glass, draw poi-traits, and used to 
paint images of the Virgin. He travelled from village to village, getting 




BERNARD PALISSY. 



284 



THE STOKY OF LIBERTY. 




HEATING TIIK FUUNACK. 



a scanty living. He went down into the south-west corner of France, to 
Saintes. One day he saw an enamelled teacup, of Italian manufacture. 
Nobody in France could make such a cup. How was tlie glazing put on ? 
It must be by heat. What was it composed of ? He would find out. He 
built a furnace, made experiments, but the glazing would not melt. He 



HOW LIBERTY BEGAN IN FRANCE. 



285 



sat six nights in succession watching the furnace, but the enamel would 
!iot fuse. lie was in despair. The fuel was giving out. lie must have 
more heat. What should he do ? He had no time to go after more 
wood ; besides, he had no money to pay for it. He seized the chairs, 
broke them up, and hurled them into the furnace. Still the glazing did 
not melt. Then he split up the table. His wife and children looked on 
in amazement. Was he crazy ? " More wood ! More wood !" That is 
liis only answer. Victory ! He has discovered the secret. The glazing 
melts, and from this time on there will be a new era in the manufacture 
of earthen-ware. 

The potter turns preacher. Others imitate him. Churches are gath- 
ered. It is a crime to read the Bible. But the printing-presses are at 
work ; and peddlers are carrying the book in their packs, selling copies 
here and there, which the people read secretly ; and so the new religion 
gets a foothold all over the kingdom. 

Those who accept the new faith no longer spend their time in carous- 
ing, but sing psalms instead. Those who laugh at them for being so re- 
ligious call them Iluguons — people who sing in the streets. They soon 
are known as Hugxtenots. 

The priests cannot tolerate the heretics. One day a company of sol- 
diers, led by priests, enter the town where the potter is at work. The 
soldiers are blood-thirsty wretches. 




WINE AND GARLIC MILL MAKE HI.M STUONCi. 



280 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



" Where are the heretics ? Let us cut their thi-oats !" they shout. 
They seize the unresisting inhabitants, cut out their tongues, gash their 

faces, or cleave their heads 
open. Some are thrust into 
prison, fourteen burned to 
death, others maimed for 
hfe. 

Fi'om Meaux the soldiers 
and priests go on to the 
town of Merindol. The sol- 
diers are let loose upon it. 
They plunge their spears 
into the breasts of the de- 
fenceless, unresisting peo- 
ple ; hurl men and women 
from the walls upon the 
rocks below ; seize all the 
goods ; tear down the houses, 
and leave it a scene of in- 
describable desolation. Have 
the people revolted ? No. 
Have they committed any 
crime ? No. Are they not 
law-abiding and peaceful ? 
Yes. They have only stayed away from mass, have been reading the Bi- 
ble, and worshipping God in their own way. That is all 
"All printing must be stopped !" 

And now to go back a little. We have pre•v^ously seen that, after 
Ferdinand of Spain had driven the Moors out of that country, he made 
^var upon the Queen of Navarre, and seized the southern fialf of her 
kingdom, because she was weak, he powerful, and because he wanted it. 
In his estimation, might made it right. 

The Queen of Navarre had a son, Henry, who was only seven years old 
at the time, and who all through life tried to recover what Ferdmand and 
Isabella had stolen from him, but failed. His life was one long disap- 
pointment. He had a beautiful daughter, Jeanne d'Albret, who was mar- 
ried to Anthony of Bourbon, brother of Antoinette, wlio married the Duke 
of Guise, whom we saw at the Field of the Cloth of Gold with Francis I., 
King of France. There came a day when the gray-haired man, whose life 
had been so bitter, held a babe in his arms — a grandson. 




JEANNE D ALBRET. 



HOW LIBERTY BEGAN IN ERA 



287 



"Ah! tliis is the boy who will redress my wrongs! To make him 
strong, I will give him a little good old wine and garlic," r.ays the delight- 
ed grandfather ; and he pours wine into the babe's mouth, and rubs its lips 
with garlic. 

Eight years pass, and Jeanne d'Albret and her boy Henry go to Paris 
to attend a wedding. The grandson of Francis I. is to be married — a boy 
sixteen years old, named for his grandfather, Francis. His mother is the 
baby who was born in Florence about the time the kings and nobles met 
at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. 
She is the niece of Leo X., and her 
name is Catherine de' Medici. She 
is Queen of France. Her confessor 
in childhood was one of the men 
who obey orders — a Jesuit priest ; 
and she believes, with them, that if 
a thing is good in itself, it is right 
to use any means to attain it. Cath- 
erine has four children — Francis (the 
oldest), Charles, Henry, and Mar- 
guerite, a wilful girl, seven years 
old. "Who is the bride? A beautiful 
girl fi'om Scotland, Mary by name. 
Her mother is sister of the Duke of 
Guise, whom we saw at the Field of 
the Cloth of Gold ; and her grand- 
mother was Margaret, sister of Hen- 
ry Vni., who spent a night in the 
old manor-house at Scrooby, when 
she was on her wedding- journey. 
She has been several years in France. 
She can write Latin, French, and 
English, and speak the languages fluently. She can sing, is quite a poet, 
and is very beautiful. Among the guests from Scotland is a learned man, 
George Buchanan, who composes a nuptial poem : 




CATHEKINK DE MEDICI IN COURT DKESS. 



" To the brave youth a royal kindred lent, 
True to thy tender cause, a glad consent, 
That dearly made a sister queen a wife, 
The gentle partner of thy throne and life ; 
While beauty, birth, and virtue, nobly fair. 
And plighted faith and mutual love, were there." 



288 



THE STORY OF LIBERIY. 



The King of France, Henry, is greatly pleased with the strong, brave 
boy from the Pyrenees. 

" Will you be my son ?" the king asks. 

" No, sir. There is n)y father, Anthony of Bourbon," the boy replies. 

" Ha ! ha ! you are a brave boy ! AVill you be my son-in-law, then ?" 

" Oh yes, sir.^' 

Perhaps the boy has already taken a fancy to little Marguei-ite ; but, 
be that as it may, the answer so pleases the king that Henry of Navarre 
and Marguerite are betrothed on the spot. 

The wedding takes place, and there is great rejoicing. The King of 




HENKY AND MONTGOMERY AT THE TOURNAMENT. 

France holds a tournament, and himself enters the lists against the Duke 
of Montgomery, from Scotland ; but the Scotchman's lance breaks, a splin- 
ter pierces the king's eye, who reels from his horse and tumbles to the 
ground. Nevermore will Henry II., King of France, lead his soldiers to 
battle. Death comes ; and Francis II. and Mary of Scotland are king 
and queen. 

Francis is a spendthrift. He borrows money, lays it out in rich dresses 
for himself and Mary, and lavishes it upon his favorites. The people come 
for their pay, and the king laughs in their face. They grow importunate. 

'' Pay us I" they say. 



HOW LIBERTY BEGAN IN FRANCE. 



291 



" Help yonreelf, if you can." 

" You have our money. Pay us !" 

"■ Take yourself off, or the king will liave yon lianged," says the Car- 
dinal of Lorraine, who sets the carpenters to work building a gibbet in 
front of the Palace of Fontainebleau. 

The cheated creditors hear the sound of the axe and hammer, and 
turn sadly away. Liberty for the king, but none for the people. In 
their anger, some who were Catholics turn LInguenots ; and so the LLi- 
gnenots become a political party. 




KONTAlNKBLbAL'. 



The priests erect statues of the Virgin Mary along the streets, and 
watch to see who bows down and worships, and who passes by. The 
passers-by have a black mark set against their names. War breaks out. 
The Dnke of Guise, who commands Francis's troops, is hard-hearted. 
Pie strings Huguenot captives on pales, and throws them into the river 
Seine. Some die iirml}', without a quivering of the lip or trembling of 
the eyelids. 

" flow brazen - faced and mad these wretches are ! Death does not 
abate their pride," says the Cardinal of Lorraine. 



292 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

The Huguenot leaders are exasperated. Tliey resolve to rid the coun- 
try of the Guises, and seize tlie king, who is in the castle at Blois. But a 
traitor reveals the plot, and the Guises remove Francis to the Chateau of 
Amboise, on the banks of the Loire, and seize the Huguenots. What a 
spectacle is that which Catherine de' Medici, Fi-ancis, and Mary, and Cath- 
erine's two younger sons, Hein-y and Charles, witness as they stand on the 
balcony of Amboise ! In the yard before them are gibbets, with corpses 
dangling beneath them ; stakes are driven into the ground, and Huguenots 
are roasting in tlie flames ; soldiers are hacking unarmed men to pieces, 
and pitching the dead bodies into the river, till it is choked with corpses. 
Twelve thousand Huguenots are put to death. 

Francis has been king fifteen months. There comes a day when there 
is a commotion in the royal palace. Francis has an abscess above his ear, 
and he has fainted. The doctors come, but their skill is of no avail. 
By the bedside of the dead king stands Mary of Scotland. The brief 
days of happiness are ended; henceforth her life will be full of trouble 
and sorrow. 

Charles IX. is king — a boy ten years old. Mary must return to Scot- 
land. With tearful eyes she bids farewell to France — to its jo^'S and 
pleasures, its snnnj- skies and blooming fields. She has been tenderly 
cared for — servants in livery to wait upon her, to carry her sedan. She 
sails to Scotland from Calais. She sits upon the deck of the vessel, gaz- 
ing sadly, till tlie land is lost to view, and then writes an 

"ADIEU TO FRANCE. 

" Farewell to tliee, tliou pleasant shore ! 
The loved, the cherished home to me, 
Of infant joy — a dream that's o'er ; 

Farewell ! dear France, farewell to thee ! 

•' The sail that wafts me bears away 
From thee but half my soul alone ; 
Its fellow-half will fondly stay, 

And back to thee has faithful flown. 

" I trust it to thy gentle care ; 

For all that here remains to me 

Lives but to think of all that's there, 

To love and to remember thee!" 

While Mary is thus sailing to her distant home, where we shall see her 
by-and-by, the boy who was fed on wine and garlic is quietlj' pursuing liis 
studies in Paris, preparing himself for the duties of life, little knowing the 
part which he is to play in the great drama of history. 



THE MAN WHO FILLED THE WOULD WITH WOE. 



293 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE MAN WHO FILLED THE WORLD AVITH WOE. 

NEVER before was there an assembly in Brussels like that wliich 
gathers in the great audience-chamber of the king's palace on Oc- 
tober 25th, 1555. Princes, nobles, dukes, lords, ladies, archbishops, and 
a crowd of church prelates are there. The clock strikes three, and those 




CHAKLi;S v. 



for whom they are waiting enter the hall. Who are they ? There comes 
a broad-shouldered man, with an ugly face, shaggy beard, white hair, 
crooked nose, and large underlip. He has lost all his teeth, except a few 
stubs. Once he was straight as an arrow ; but now he walks with a crutch. 



294 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

and lias to lean upon another's arm. lie looks to be seventy, yet is only 
iifty-tive. It is Charles, Emperor of Germany, King- of Spain, Naples, and 
the Netherlands — the man before whom Doctor Luther made his plea for 
liberty at Worms. For more than a third of a centurj' Charles has been 
at war — his armies marching through Spain, Germany, France, and Italy. 
He has an empire in the New World larger than all his domains in Eu- 
rope, foi", since he came to the throne, Hernando Cortez has overturned 
the throne of Montezuma. Thej' have discovered the Pacific Ocean, have 
found mountains of silver and gold in Peru. They have been in the 
Floridas, and marched under De Soto to the Mississippi. His empire is 
greater than that rided by Caesar. Although he is so great a potentate," 
the sout has c-ot hold of him. He is an enormous eater. At five o'clock 
in the moi'uing he eats a chicken fricasseed in sweetened milk ; then he 
has a long nap. At twelve o'clock he has a superb dinner of twenty 
dishes, and drinks a bottle of wine. At four o'clock he eats his first 
supper, a heartier meal than his dinner, with pastry and sweetmeats, and 
drinks goblets of beer. At midnight lie eats his second supper, and 
diinks more beer. He is always liungMy, yet everything tastes alike; for, 
abusing his stomach, he has lost the sense of taste. 

The man upon whose arm he leans is only twenty-two, tall, handsome, 
with dark-brown hair, broad forehead, and clearly cut features. He has 
brown eyes, and wears a mustache and beard. Althongh he is so young, 
he has been appointed commander-in-chief of the army which has been 
iighting against Admiral Coligny, general of the Fi-ench armies. People 
call him William the Silent and Prince of Oi'ange. He is the son of Wil- 
liam called the " Rich." He came to Brussels, when he was only eleven 
years old, to be educated. Charles V. was here, and took a liking to the 
boy, making him a page at court. He was so fond of AVilliam that he 
Avanted him always by his side. He revealed to him all the secrets of 
State. There are but few men in tlie throng that know more of state-craft 
than this young man. He is quick to liear ; he understands the intrigues 
that are all the time going on among kings and pi'inces, to build up and to 
tear down ; but he has the facultj^ of keeping his thoughts to himself, or 
of letting them be known at the right time. Let us keep In'in in remem- 
brance, for, of all the men that walk the earth, few will do more for lib- 
ert}' than he. 

Behind the emperor comes Philip, with spindle-legs, a face like his 
father's (large mouth, heavy underjaw), twenty -eight years old, proud, 
gross, eater of bacon-fat. Little legard has he for justice. What cares 
.he for the rights and liberties of men ? Nothing. 



THE MAN WHO FILLED THE WORLD WITH WOE. 295 

One of the bisliops is Anthony Perrenot, of Arras, who can speak seven 
languages. He has been Charles's chief ad\iser. He detests the people, 
and hates heretics. The year after Charles was elected emperor he pei- 
suaded him to issue an edict against heretics. These were some of the 
provisions : 

" No one shall print, write, copy, keep, conceal, sell, buy, or give in 
the churches, sti'eets, or other places, any book written by Martin Luther 
or any other heretic. 

"Any person who teaches or reads the Bible, any person who says 
anything against the Church or its teachings, shall be executed. 

"Anj' person who gives food or shelter to a heretic shall be burned to 
death. Any person who is suspected, althougli it may not appear that he 
has violated the command, after being once admonished, shall be put to 
death. 

" If any one has knowledge of a heretic, and does not make it known 
to the court, he shall be put to death. 

"An informer against a heretic shall recover one-half of tlie estates of 
the accused. If any one be present at a meeting of heretics, and shall 
inform against them, he shall have full pardon." 

The Jesuits establish tlieir torture -chamber. Thousands are put to 
death. The prisons are filled with accused lieretics. Other thousands flee 
the country, seeking a refuge where no priest shall find them, or wdiere 
they may be free from persecution. Their estates are confiscated, the 
property being divided between the men who ask questions, the king, and 
those who inform against the heretics. 

Charles has wrenched money from the people of Holland to enable 
him to carry on his wars in Germany and Italy. He has trampled on 
their ancient I'ights and privileges, making himself a despot. But he is 
weary of life, and is about to resign his crown to Philip. This is the day 
selected for his abdication. Since lie came to the throne he has burned, 
or hanged, or otherwise put to death, more than one hundred thousand 
men and women for reading the Bible. lie began to burn them in 1523. 
The first victims were two monks, who w^ere burned in Brussels. The 
priests incited the people to hunt the heretics out of the land. Not a 
week passed, scarcely a day, that there was not a burning of heretics ; but 
though so many were disposed of, they seemed to multiply faster than 
ever. In 1535, Charles issued another edict. Thus it ran : 

"All heretics shall be put to death. 

" If a man who has been a heretic recants, he may be killed by the 
sword, instead of beinix burned to death. 



296 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



" If a woman who has been a heretic repents, she may be burled alive, 
instead of being burned." 

For twenty years this has been the law of the land, and the smoke of 
the burning has been going up to heaven all the time. 

Through all these years the emperor has been plundering the Nether- 
landers, wrenching from them more than two million dollars per annum. 
Through all these years he has been crushing out the liberties of the State 
and trampling upon the lights of the people. "While heretics are burning, 




BUKNING THE MONKS. 



he gives thanks to God for permitting him to carry out such a glorious 
work. He is very religious — will not eat meat on Fridaj^, goes regularly 
to mass, counts his beads, says his prayers, and yet looks on with glee 
while men and women are smouldering in the flames. 

The scene is over. Philip wears the crown, and Charles sails to Spain. 
He goes to Valladolid ; and the bishops and priests of the Inquisition get 
up a jubilee in his honor — tlie burning of forty men, women, and children, 
who have dared to think for themselves. So this man — whom we first 
saw counselling with Henry VIII. and Wolsey, just before the Field of 
the Cloth of Gold, and just after it; before whom Martin Luther stood 



THE MAN WHO FILLED THE WORLD WITH WOE. 297 

at Worms ; whose army lias sacked tlie city of Eome ; who took Francis 
prisoner, and treated him inhumanly; who has tilled the world with woe 
— retires to spend the remainder of his life in seclusion, not fasting and 
praying, but eating like a glutton, reading despatches, counselling Philip 
— requiring him to hang and burn till there shall not be a heretic re- 
maining in all his dominions. Even in his retirement he fills the world 
with woe. 



298 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

PROGRESS OF LIBERTY IN ENGLAND. 

^r^IlE Duke of Guise has eaptui-ed Calais, which England has held for 
-L a long time, and the loss is a terrible blow to Mary Tudor. "When 
I die, Calais will be found wi-itten on my heart," is her lament over its 
loss. Her life has been tilled with disappointment. It is just forty yeai's 
since she went, with her mother Katherine, to the Field of the Cloth 
of Gold. She has seen her mother's divorce and humiliation. All her 
dreams of happiness which she had fondly indulged in regard to Philip 
have faded ; he has deserted her, and is over in Holland, leading a dis- 
reputable life. She hoped to re-establish the authority of the Pope in 
England ; but though she has burned so many men, though the prisons 
are tilled with heretics, though she has compelled thousands to flee the 
country, the Pope's authority is not re-established. She knows that she 
is hated, that her subjects will rejoice at the news of her death. She is 
weak, sickly, querulous, prematurely old. Possibly a sweet, sad face, 
smeared with blood — the countenance of a lovely, innocent girl — may 
haunt her at times, when she thinks of the beheading of Jane Grey. In 
her dreams maybe she sees the good Bishop of Gloucester, or Latimer and 
Ridley, or the boy of Brentwood, with steadfast faith looking into heaven 
amidst the flames which she has kindled. Unloved and unlovable, her 
life is going out in darkness. On November 17th, 1558, she ceases to 
breathe. This is the epitaph that may be sculptured upon her tomb : 
'"''Died of disaj>2X)intin<intr 

" God save Queen Elizabeth ! Long and happily may she reign !" 
The Bishop of Ely (lord chancellor) proclaims it in Parliament. Bells 
ring, cannon thunder, bonflres blaze, tables are spread in the streets. Te 
Deums are sung. No more burning of liereti(;s ; no more Spanish gran- 
dees stalking through the streets insulting the people; no more spying and 
plotting b}' Jesuits to send men to the stake — but liberty, such as never 
before has been enjoyed ! 

Elizabeth is at Ilatrield ; but she comes to London, attended by a thou- 



PROGRESS OF LIBERTY IN ENGLAND. 



299 



sand nobles, knights, and gentlemen and ladies, accompanied by bands of 
music. Companies of singers greet her with songs ; the })eople fall on 
their knees, pouring forth their prayers and praises. So the daughter of 
Anne Boleyn rides to the Tower, entering it, not now by the Traitor's 
Gate, but in regal pomp, sovereign of the realm. 

On the 12th of January, 1559, she is crowned in AYestminster Abbey. 
Never before has there been so gorgeous a pageant in London. The 
river swarms with boats and bai'ges, the rowers in livery, the canopies 
of cloth of silver and gold. The nobles and their ladies appear in their 
richest robes — coats and gowns of velvet or satin, trimmed with gold and 




THE UIVEK AVU.N. 



silver lace. Cannon thunder once more, the church-bells ring. All Lon- 
don is astir. Triumphal arches are erected, with allegorical characters. 
One represents the queen trampling Ignorance and Superstition beneath 
her feet. Another represents Time leading his daughter Truth by the 
hand, carrying a Bible, which she presents to the queen, Elizabeth re- 
ceives it graciously, kissing it, and pressing it to her heart. 

" I thank the City for the gift ; I prize it above all things," is the 
queen's reply. 

Elizabeth is twenty-five. She has her mother's fair complexion, her 
father's proud and independent spirit. Now that she is queen, there ai-e 
plenty of men who would like to marry her. Tlie fii'st to offer himself is 
the man who eats bacon-fat, Philip, who huriies on his suit almost before 



300 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



Mary is in her grave. He sends an ambassador to tlie Pope to obtain per- 
mission to marry, without waiting to see if Elizabeth will say yes or no to 




ROOM IN WHICH SHAKSPEARE WAS HORN. 



his proposaL She does not consult the Pope, but sends her answer — Xo ! 
The King of Sweden makes proposal ; so does the Archduke Charles of 
Austria : but Elizabeth will not resign her independence to them. The 
Earl of Leicester is one of her favorites, and the court gossips are sure 
that he is to be the favored one. The Earl of Essex is another favorite. 
But Elizabeth will not be beholden to any man ; she will rule in her own 
royal right. 

The people love her, for any one — the poor as well as the rich, the low 
as well as the high — may approach her with their petitions. If she makes 
a promise, she never fails of keeping it. She has a w^ise man to advise 
her, Sir William Cecil, who conducts the affairs of State with great ability. 

The bishops will not accept Elizabeth's authority as head of tlie 
Church, and she puts them in prison, and appoints others in their place. 
There are no more burnings; but has liberty come to the people? Not 
yet. The queen, by the uttering of a word, the lifting of a linger, can 
imprison men and women, confiscate their estates, or send them into exile, 
for no crime but that of incurring her displeasure. 

Mary Grey, Jane's sister, marries Martin Keys, who is a judge, and 
a good man ; but Elizabeth does not like the marriage, and both are put 
into prison, where Mary languishes for more than three years. 

Notwithstanding the queen exercises such arbitrary power, liberty ad- 



PROGRESS OF LIBERTY IN ENGLAND. 



301 



varices. Men can tliink and speak more freely than ever before. Those 
wlio believe in the Pope, and those wlio do not believe in him as the head 
of the Church, if they are not violent in their language, may speak their 
minds. 

A golden age for literature has come. A boy vi'ho was born on the 
banks of the Avon, down which the dust of Wicklif floated to the sea, the 
boy who went to school in the old town of Stratford, and sat at an oaken 
desk — William Shakspeare — is reading his plays to Elizabeth, and they 
are being acted in the theatre of London. A people far enough advanced 
to read such poetry cannot long be slaves. 

As Geoffrey Chancer gave a great uplift to freedom by his '"'Canter- 
bury Tales," so does William Shakspeare by his dramas. Men behold the 
spectacles upon the stage, and see the weaknesses, the follies, the tyrannies 




SHAKSPEARE READING ONE OF HIS PLAYS TO ELIZABETH. 



of kings, as never before. They begin to understand that monarchs are 
but men, that the Pope is but a chief priest in the Church, that all men 
have certain rights, and are entitled to liberties which they never yet have 
enjoyed. We shall see ere long what will come from their thinking. 



302 THE STORY OB^ LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

HOW THE POPE PUT DOWN THE HERETICS. 

DUKE HENRY OF GUISE is Prime Minister of Fi-ance, and his 
brother, the cardinal, is liis chief adviser. They are proud and arro- 
gant, and hate the Huguenots. They believe in the Pope, and are ready to 
do his bidding. The Huguenots and heretics in France are to be put down. 

One Sunday the duke, with his followers, is in the country'. He hears 
the sweet tones of a bell in the village of Yassy. 

"What is that bell tolling for?" he asks. 

"It is the bell of the Huguenots." 

"Are there many heretics here?" 

"Yes, and they are rapidly increasing." 

The duke, when distui'bed in spirit, has a habit of biting his beard ; 
and now he champs it between his teeth as a horse his bit. 

"Forward!" It is a word of command to his followers, who draw 
their swords and ride into town, trampling upon the people. A man hurls 
a stone, which strikes the duke in the face. The butchery begins, and 
when it is over there are forty -two corpses and two hundred wounded 
men, women, and children, weltering in their blood ! AVhat have the 
people of Vassy done? AVhat crime have they committed? Only this 
— peaceably met to worship God in their own way. 

The duke returns to Paris, but the fame of his exploit has preceded 
him ; and the archbishop, carrying the host — the bishops, the priests — all 
come out in grand procession, meeting him at the city gates, and escort- 
ing him through the streets as one who has done a glorious deed. What 
rights have the Huguenots? None. France is in uproar, for one-fourth 
of the people are Huguenots, Their leader is the Prince of Conde. His 
soul is on fire. He thirsts for revenge. He has a talk -with his friend, 
Theodore de Beza, an old minister. 

" I can raise fifty thousand men to avenge this insult," he says. 

"That may be; but the true Church of God should endure blows, and 
not m\e them." 



HOW THE POPE PUT DOWN THE HERETICS. 



303 



" But only think of the slaugliter !" 

" God will avenge. Remember that his anvil has used up many ham- 
mers. Wait !" So the old minister seeks to restrain the venoreance of 
the prince. 

The Cardinal of Lorraine issues a command for the extermination of 
the Huguenots. In a little town the Catholics and Pluguenots have lived 
side by side in peace ; but, at the command of the cardinal, the Catholics 
surround the Iltiguenot church one Sunday, seize all within, take them to 
a high rock, and pitch them 
from its top into the river. 
The Huguenots in Nimes, 
maddened by the outrages, 
retaliate by killing one 
hundred and ninety-two of 
their neighbors. It is the 
beginning once more of 
civil war. Great battles 
are fought, towns destroy- 
ed, and the country is in 
terrible turmoil. No one's 
life is safe. Henry of Na- 
varre is in Paris, attending 
to his studies. His mother 
is a Huguenot ; but she is 
in her own dominion, in 
the Pyrenees. His father 
— Anthony Bourbon — is a 
Catholic, and is killed in 
battle. The Huguenots 
look to Henry's mother as 
their protector. Everybody sees that possibly her son Henry may by-and- 
by be King of France. Will he be Huguenot or Catholic ? Catherine 
de' Medici means that he shall be a Catholic; while his mother hopes that 
he will be a Huguenot. She comes to Paris. Catherine receives her with 
great demonstrations of affection ; but in a very short time Jeanne d'Al- 
bret discovers that, wherever she goes, officers and nobles in Catherine's 
interest follow her. If she rides in the park of Fontainebleau, or strolls 
along the walks, there are men always following her — she is a prisoner. 
She resolves to make her escape. One day there is a grand chase, and her 
nobles go out with her. Thev cliase a deer throui^h the woods. Suddenly 




THE CARDINAL OF LORRAINE. 



304 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



Jeanne and Henry turn their horses, and a few noblenieu who are in her 
secret turn with her. Tiiey ride away, mount fresh horses, ride all day 
and all night, and so escape from Paris. 

The war goes on. France is a battle-field, and so is Europe. There is 
fighting in Holland, in Germany, and in Italy. Henry is in the great bat- 
tle of Jarnac, fighting for the Huguenots. He sees his leader, the Prince 
of Conde, fall, and the Huguenot army defeated. He is only fourteen 
years of age; but the Huguenot nobles choose him for their leader, and 

he takes this oath : " I 
swear to defend religion, 
and to persevere in the 
common cause, till death 
or victory has secured for 
all the liberty we desire." 

Amidst the Alps there 
is a beautiful valle}', where 
for many years have lived 
the Vaudois. It is a small 
territory — only sixteen 
square miles. The Vau- 
dois are brave mountain- 
eers. They have always 
loved freedom. They are 
peaceable, gentle. They 
have always thought for 
themselves, and never have 
acknowledged the author- 
ity of the Pope. They 
have been many times per- 
secuted ; now they shall be 
exterminated. JSio longer shall they be permitted to read the Bible, to 
sing their songs in peace, or pray to God, and not to the priest. 

The Pope, Philip, and Catherine de' Medici join to destroy the here- 
tics. An army enters the valley. Jesuit priests accompany it, urging the 
soldiers to exterminate the Vaudois — men, women, and children ; all are 
to be put to death. The people flee ; the soldiers pursue them. The old 
are slaughtered first. Men who cannot move are stabbed in their beds ; 
women afflicted with palsy, and unable to lift a finger, are killed in cold 
blood. The soldiers seize whatever pleases them in the houses, and then 
apply the torch. Men and women and children who lag behind in the 




CATHERINE DE MEDICI. 



HOW THE POPE PUT DOWN THE HERETICS. 



307 



flight are cut down without mercy. In vain their cries. Tlie Jesuits 
liave aroused a spirit of liate in the soldiers, and their cries are unheed- 
ed. Weary with wielding the sword, the soldiers take their unresisting 
prisoners to the tops of high cliffs, and pitch them upon the rocks below. 
To vary the work of destruction, they dig graves, and bury the women 
alive. When wear}' with that, they fill the mouths of the captives with 
gunpowder, and blow their heads from their bodies. They crop off their 
ears and nose, cut off hands and feet, and leave the poor creatures to die 
by slow degrees. 

Day after day the massacre goes on. Day after da}' a great pillar 
of smoke ascends from the burnino- of the homes of the Vandois. The 




JEANNE AND HENRY ESCAPING FROM PARIS. 



ground is drenched with blood. Corpses lie in the fields, by the road- 
side, at tlie foot of rocky cliffs, devoured by wolves, eaten by the eagles. 

Some of the Yaudois have escaped to the higher Alps, and the soldiers 
follow ; but suddenly they are confronted by the brave mountaineers, who 
fire upon them from the heights above, who hurl rocks upon them, grind- 
ing them to the earth. Other soldiers rush up, but are driven back, with 
great slaughter. Once more they advance. The Vaudois, concealed be- 
hind the rocks, take deadly aim ; every luillet tells. A pitiless storm of 
leaden rain beats in their faces. Twelve hundred full. The Yaudois, in- 



308 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




BUKYINU THK HKKETICS ALIVK. 



stead of surrendering, leap, like the chamois, from rock to rock, secrete 
tliemselves in caves, and, when the soldiers least expect it, assail them 
once more. Winter comes, and thej are not subdued. Count Trinity, 
who commands the armv, withdraws his ti'oops. In the spring he will 
finish his work. 

In caves or in rude hnts, living on the chamois which the hunters kill, 
eating the bark of trees, the Yaudois, with their wives and children, pass 
the terrible winter. 

In the spring Count Trinity returns, with ten thousand men, to com- 
plete the extermination. The Vaudois have selected a spot in the Valley 
of Pra del Tor, where they have erected a barricade. There they will 
lay down their lives, if need be, for liberty. In the fastness are their 
wives and children ; for them, for the right to think and act for them- 
selves, they will make a last stand. The drums beat, the trumpets sound. 
With banners and crosses, the army of Count Trinity moves up the se- 
cluded valley. The Italian troops are in advance ; behind them are the 
Spaniards. They are clad in armor — brave men ; no troops may stand 
against them in the open field. But now they are amidst the mountains, 



HOW THE POl'E PUT DOWN THE HERETICS. 



309 



hunting a starving people, destitute of everything, i-eady to die rather 
than yield ; for to yield is to die at the stake. There are ten thousand 
against a few hundred. Quickly will the veterans of Spain and Italy 
sweep the all but famished rabble away. Up over the rocks march the 
infantry of Savoy. 

Crack! A soldier rolls down the mountain- side, shot by an unseen 
foe. Above them hangs a handful of smoke ; but no foe is in sight. 

Crack ! crack ! Other soldiers go down, and others still. The bat- 
talions fire, but their bullets flatten against the rocks. Faster fall the sol- 




THK VALLEY OF PRA l^liL TOK. 



diers. Only now and then can they see a Vaudois. It is but a glimpse; 
for they are behind the ci-ags, loading, and firing with deliberate aim. 
Wherever the soldiers attempt to advance, they are met by a storm of bul- 



310 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

lets. The ground is strewed with dying and dead. The soldiers hear a 
chorus of voices ringing out above them. It is the Yaudois chanting a 
psalui. God is their helper, and to him give tliey thanks. 

For four days the Pope's troops keep up the assault. While the men 
defend the barricade, their wives supply them with food. Count Trinity 
is enraged. He will charge with his whole army, and trample the Yau- 
dois beneath his feet. Thus far the Italians have been in the fore- 
front of the attack ; but now he orders up the Spaniai'ds. The Jesuit 
priests bestow their blessings, and stand with uplifted crosses, to urge the 
soldiers on. 

A mass of men ascend the rockj- path. Tiiose in front go down ; but 
the men behind sweep over the fallen, up to tlie barricade. Though they 
have reached it, they cannot mount it. Muskets flame in their faces. 
The barricade suddenly swarms with men, who beat them back, tumbling 
them one upon another — the dead upon the living, and the living npon 
the dead. In consternation they flee down the mountain-side, leaving all 
behind them. Soldiers and officers alike are panic-stricken. The Yau- 
dois, leaping from the barricade, chase them down the valley, flinging 
them from the precipices into the deptlis below. The entire army is put 
to flight; and the Yaudois gather up the rich booty left behind. But who 
can bring back the slaughtered dead — the children hacked asunder, those 
buried alive, those blown up witli powder? No one. Priestly intolerance 
has ground them into the dust ; and it is yet a long, long while before 
men can be allowed to think for themselves. Will liberty never dawn ? 



THE QUEEN OF THE SCOTS. 



311 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE QUEEN OF THE SCOTS. 

THE gii-l who bade adieu to France with many tears is in Plolyrood 
Palace, Edinburi^h. It was a stormy voyage which Mary had from 
Calais to Leith, on the Firth of Forth. In France she had been accus- 
tomed to grand pageants ; but although the nobles of Scotland come with 
their best outfits to welcome 
her, though the people re- 
ceive her with joy, they can 
make but a sorry display. 
As she enters Edinburgh, the 
only music that greets her 
ears is the singing of a psalm, 
and the scraping of three- 
stringed fiddles, and the play- 
ing of bagpipes. She is beau- 
tiful and refined; but the peo- 
ple whom she has come to 
rule are uncouth. She is a 
Papist ; they, for the most 
part, Presbyterians, and in- 
tolerant of Papists. Before 
Mary lies a sea of troubles. 

Elizabeth never has for- 
gotten that Mary claims to 
be the rightful heir to the 
throne of England ; nor will 
Mary renounce her claim. 
Elizabeth wishes her to marry a man of her choosing, Ilobert Dudley ; but 
Mary will bestow her hand upon whom she pleases, and declines the mar- 
riage. She loves literature, and, besides attending to the cares of State, 
finds time to studv Latin, and selects for her instructor George Buchanan, 




MAUV, QUEKN OF SCOTS. 



312 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



who wrote her nuptial ode when she married Francis. T!ie tutor is fifty 
years old, and his has been a varied life. He was a poor boy, but an 

uncle sent him to Paris, 
where he was educated. He 
wi'ote a poem exposing the 
wickedness of the monks. 
Cardinal Beaton thrust him 
into prison for the offence, 
but Buclianan made his es- 
cape. In Portugal, the Jes- 
uits arrested him again, but 
he escaped a second time. 
He has been professor in 
several miiversities, and is a 
great scholar. We shall see 
farther along wliat he will 
do for liberty. 

Mary's cousin comes to 
see her — Henrj' Stuart — a 
tall, beardless young man, 
who can play the guitar, and 
sing a song. He can dance 
gracefully. He is Margaret's 
grandson — the Margaret who 
spent a night in the old house at Scroob3^ Henry Stuart's father is the 
Earl of Lennox, who has planned a marriage between his son and Mary. 
The son is Lord Darnley. They are privately married at Holyrood. 
"Te Deum Imidanius P"* It is done, and cannot be undone. 
A little, swarthy Italian, David Rizzio, Mary's secretary, who, it is said, 
is a Jesuit priest, shouts it. Why is he so jubilant? Because it will greatly 
strengthen, he thinks, the P(^pe's party in Scotland. Mary does not know 
what a sad nn'stake she has made — that her husband is a weak-brained, 
worthless fellow. He claims the right to rule. He is angered with Rizzio, 
who lias great influence with Mary. He concerts with a ruffian — Lord 
Ruthven — to put Rizzio out of the way ; and one evening when Rizzio is 
in Mary's apartments, Ruthven and his fellow-conspirators creep softly up 
a winding stairway, and murder Rizzio in her presence. Darnley tries 
to persuade Mary that he had nothing to do with the murder. She partly 
believes him. 

On June 19th, 156G, Mary becomes a mother. There is great re- 




T.ORD DARNLEY. 



THE QUEEN OF THE SCOTS. 



3i; 



joicing, not only in Scotland, but in England, over the event, for the Lov 
will be heir to both thrones, lie is christened with ninch pomp and 
ceremony. His mother calls him James, and appoints six women to rock 
his cradle. 

Lord Darnley is so debased that he does not attend the christening, 
but is having a carouse with some drunken ruffians. Mary has lost all 
respect foi- him. The nobles of Scotland are rough, nnscrupulous men. 
The Earl of Bothwell, to whom Marj^ has given Dunbar Castle, plans a 
wicked scheme to obtain a divorce from his young and beautiful wife, 
kill Darnley, marry Mary, and so make himself ruler of Scotland. Mary 
has shown him many favors, and her letters are full of tender regards. 
She is still kind to Lord Darnley. He has forsaken her, but, when sick 
with the small-pox, she does not hesitate to visit him. She remains with 




HOLYROOD PALACE. 



him one night till eleven o'clock. On her way back to Holyrood she 
meets a man carrying a bag of gunpowder. 

"What are you going to do with it?" she asks. 

The man makes no reply, l)ut runs away. At midnight there is an 
explosion Avhich shakes all Edinburgh. The house in which Darnley was 



314r THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

sick is a heap of ruins, and lie is a mangled corpse beneath the rubbish. 
It is soon discovered that Both well caused the powder to be placed in the 
cellar, and hired a man to fire it. He is arrested and tried, but, being 
rich and powerful, manages to escape conviction. 

A few weeks pass. Mary has been out to Stirling Castle to see her 
baby, and is quietly returning, when suddenly she meets Both well and a 
party of horsemen, who compel her to go with them to Dunbar Castle. 
She is a prisoner. The earl asks her to marry him. She yields to his 
solicitations, and they are privately married. Scotland is in an uproar. 
The nobles will not permit Bothwell to be at the head of Government. 
They rise against him, and he is driven from the country, to end his days 
as a pirate. The nobles imprison Mary in a stone castle on a little island 
in Lo(;h Leven, consigning her to the care of Lord and Lady Donglas. 
And who are they ? Everybody in Scotland knows that Lady Douglas, 
before marrying Lord Douglas, kept company with Mary's father, and 
that she is the mother of Mary's half-brother, the Earl of Murray. Lady 
Douglas claims that she was man-ied to Mary's father, and that the Earl 
of Murray, and not Mary, is rightful heir to the throne ; but very few per- 
sons believe that she was ever married to the king. 

Mary's best friends desert her. They fear that she knew that Both- 
well intended to murder Dandey, and connived at the crime. Her in- 
structor, George Buchanan, writes a pamplilet, in which he sets fortli her 
guilt. He also writes a pam[)hlet entitled " De Jure Kegni"— the Right 
to Rule. He begins by asking this question, "What is the source of pow- 
er ?" This is his answer : 

"TAe will of the jpeople is the only legitimate source of jpoioer?'' 
It is a discovery for which the world lias been waiting. Possibly 
some other man may have thought the same ; but George Buchanan puts 
his thought into print. There is not a king, queen, pope, or priest who 
will agree with him. 

'■'■It originates from, a natural, imtinctire 2Jercejption of the 2)rinci- 
2>le that men, to have government, must have a governor ; and the same 
jjrinciple gives thern the right to say who shall govern themT 

Kings say that they are appointed by God to rule — their right is 
divine. 

'-'•The people have a right to choose their rulers, and, if they prove 
to he had, they have the right to dejMse tlieinT 

The world never heard such a doctrine before. People in England 
read Buchanan's pamphlet, and begin to take new views of their rela- 
tions to their rulers. The nobles of Scotland, to carry out the teachings 



THE QUEEN OF THE SCOTS. 315 

of Buchanan, resolve to compel Mary to resign tlie crown in favor of her 
babe, who is not a year old. Two of them visit Mary at Loch Leven, and 
inform her that she must lay down the sceptre. Of all the sad days of 
her life, this is one of the saddest. She protests — she pleads with them, 
with tears ; but they are inexorable. We are not to think of the nobles 
as acting in behalf of the people. Many years must pass before tho 
people will have a voice in go\ernnient. But if she resigns, the baby 
will be crowned king, and the nobles, for a long period of years, will be 
in power, in the baby's name. She is a prisoner, and, against her will, 
resigns. 

On the 25 th of Jul}-, 15G7, Mai-y's baby is crowned King James VI. 
The ceremony is performed at Stirling Castle, in the room where, a quar- 
ter of a centurj' before, Mary hei'self had been crowned. And now, 
through the aid of Lady Douglas's sons, Mai'y escapes from the Castle of 
Loch Leven. The nobles who believe in the Pope spring to arms, and 
war begins. On a hill near Dumbarton the two armies meet, and a tiei'ce 
battle is fought. The ground is covered with killed and wounded ; and 
when it is ended, Mary sees her followers scattered to the winds. She 
llees southward. Gladly would she tind refuge in France, but there 18 
no ship to bear her to those friendly shores. She reaches England, sur- 
rendering herself into tlie hands of Elizabeth, trustiug that she will treat 
her kindly. 



316 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER XXIY. 

ST. BARTHOLOMEW. 

CHARLES IX. of France is a weak-headed boy, and his motlier, Cath- 
erine de' Medici, keeps hiin under her thumb. She is a wilj woman. 
She hates tlie Huguenots, and would like to see the last one in France 
executed or driven from the kingdom. She has a plan for their exter- 
mination ; yet it is not wholly hers. 
The Duke of Guise and the Cardi- 
nal of LoiTaine are knowing to it, 
and so is the Pope ; and all do what 
they can to put it in execution. 
They see that the Ilnguenots are 
too powerful to be crushed out in 
battle. They will bring about a 
truce, lull the Hiiguenots into secu- 
rity by fair speeclies, and then crush 
them by stratagem. Catherine re- 
members that Henry of Navarre — • 
the boy who di-ank wine and garlic 
— and her daughter Marguerite are 
betrothed. They are not lovers. 
Very few princes and princesses 
marry for love. Henry is willing 
to accept Marguerite, because it will 
heal, he hopes, tlie nation's troubles ; 
but Marguerite is a proud- s})irited 
girl, and means to have something 
to say about her own marriage. 
Charles informs Marojuerite that 

MAKGDERITE OF LORRAINE, ^ 

she shall marry Hem-y whether she 
does or does not like him. Jeanne and Henry come to the Palace of 
Eiois, and Charles and his mother go out to meet them. 




ST. BARTHOLOMEW. 



317 



^5|a) 



" I give Marguerite not only to Ileiny, but to tlie Ilngnenot party," 
says Charles. 

Little do Jeanne and Henry know what is behind these words. 

" I love yoii, my dear aunt," he says to Henry's mother. 

Charles and Catherine take their leave. 

" Do I play my pait well ?" Ciiarles asks of his mother. 

"Yes; but it will be of no use to begin, if you do not go on," Cath- 
erine replies. 

What sort of going-on will it be ? Such as the world never saw be- 
fore, nor since. 

Catherine cannot do enougli for Jeanne and Henry. She bestows rich 
and costly presents upon 
them. One of her gifts 
to the mother is a pair of 
perfumed gloves. Jeanne 
wears them, but in a short 
time is taken sick. The 
physicians ai"e baffled by 
her disease ; their medi- 
cines do no good. She 
grows rapidly worse, till 
death ends her sufferings. 
The physicians, w^hen ask- 
ed the cause of her death, 
shake their heads, or whis- 
per the word " Poison." 

The mourning for 
Jeanne is over, and the mar- 
riage of Henry and Mar- 
guerite is to be celebrated. 
All of the great men of 
the realm come to Paris to 
attend the festivities — all 
the Huguenot nobles, wearing their rich dresses. Adn)iral Coligny, an 
old man, who has led the Huguenot armies to battle, conies to aid in ce- 
menting the peace. 

" Don't go ; you will be assassinated," say his friends. 

" I confide in the word of the king." 

He believes that Charles will not see him harmed. The Duke of 
Guise and all the Catholic chiefs are in Paris. There is a whispering 




CHARLES IX. 



318 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



between Catherine and tlie Catholic leaders. What is the meai\^>ng 
of it? 

"We will not ask the Ilngnenots to go into the Church of Notre 

Dame to attend the mar- 
riage ; we will have it in 
the street, before the door," 
says Charles ; and the Iln- 
gnenots are greatly pleased 
at his efforts for concilia- 
tion. 

A canopy and a plat- 
form are erected in front 
of the chnrch. All Paris 
is there, every honse-top is 
covered with people, every 
window occupied. The la- 
dies of the court are richly 
robed. Drums beat ; trump- 
ets sound ; the bells fill the 
air with their clanging; can- 
non thunder, and the royal 
procession passes through 
the streets to Notre Dame. 
The bz'ide and bridegroom 
stand before tlie archbishop. 
" Will yon take Henry to be your husband ?" 
Marguerite makes no reply. 
" Will you take Henry to be your husband ?" 
She does not answer, but pouts lier lips and tosses her head. 
" Will you take Henry to be your husband V 

Never by look, or word, or gesture will she accept him. But she shall, 
though ! That is what her brother Charles determines. He knows that 
she has a proud spirit; but is the marriage to stop on that account 'i Not 
if he can make it go on. He clasps Marguerite's head in his hands, and 
compels her to nod assent. The archbishop smiles, and the ceremony pro- 
ceeds, and Margaret is married in spite of herself. Tlien come feastings, 
and tournaments, and great rejoicings ; for will not this marriage, this 
union of the Huguenot and Catholic, heal all the divisions, and give peace 
to France ? The Huguenots hope so. But a messenger came from the 
Pope a few days ago, and he has an interview wnth the king. 




ADMHIAL COLIGXr. 



ST. BARTHOLOMEW. 



319 



" What Is tlie meaning of all this friendship for the lieretics ?" the 
Pope asks. 

" I cannot tell you ; but the Pope will soon have reason to praise my 
zeal," is the reply of Charles. 

The wedding festivities are over. The Huguenot leader, Coligny, 
makes ready to leave. He calls and pays his respetits to the king, leaves 
the palace, and walks to his quarters. He is reading a letter as he passes 
along the street. Crack ! The blood spurts from his arm and stains the 
paper. Some one has fired a pistol at him, and the ball has passed 
through his arm. He looks calmly around, and sees the smoke curling 
out of a window. People rush in, but no one is there ; the assassin has 
fled. "What is the meaning of it ? Is there a trap behind all the feasting 
and rejoicing ? The king Jiastens to console the brave old man. 

"The assassin shall be summarily dealt with," says Charles. 

The wedding was on Sunday, and it is now Friday. There are mys- 
terious movements among the Catholics. The Huguenots begin to be 
alarmed. What is the meaning of the wdiispering ? 

Saturday afternoon comes. The Duke of Guise, Duke de Retz, and 




NOTRE DAMl';. 



others, are in the king's palace in the Louvre conferring together. Catli 
erine comes into the chamber where they are assembled. 

" It must be done to-night. The king must be brought up to issue the 
order. The Huiruenots are leavinir." 



320 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



That is tlie conelnsion of tlie council. Catherine o-oes into the king's 
apartment. Slie is his mother, has taught him to obey her. He is twenty- 
one years old — weak, irresolute. 

" The Huguenots ai-e going to rise against you. They have sent to Ger- 
many for ten thousand men, and to Switzerland for ten thousand," she says. 




THE MARRIAGE. 



It is a lie ; but she can tell a lie quite as easil}^ as she can the truth, 
when it Avill serve her purpose. 

"You must nip the insurrection in the bud. Coligny is at the bottom 
of it ; you must put him out of the way. If you do not, there will be 
another civil war." 

" I will not have Coligny harmed," Charles replies. 

Evening comes. The wax-candles are lighted in the chambers of the 
palace. Again Catherine enters the king's chamber. 

" War is inevitable unless you put Coligny out of the way. Let him 
be killed, and the rest of the Huguenots will submit." 

Charles paces his chamber. He likes the brave old admiral. He has 
just bidden him a courteous farewell. Sljall he turn round and strike him 
now? In an anteroom is the collector of taxes, Chairon, and some of the 
chief men of Paris, and Count De Tavannes is talkinor with them in secret. 



ST. BARTHOLOMEW. 



321 



" You are to put the Huguenot leader, Coligny, out of the way," says 
De Tavannes. 

" We cannot do such a deed." 

" Not do it ! Then you are not the king's friend. If you do not take 
hold of it, your own necks will be stretched." 

That is not a pleasant thought. The king must be in earnest, and 
they too will be in earnest. 

" Ho ! ho ! That is the way you take it ! We swear that we will play 
our hands so well that St. Bartholomew shall from this moment be re- 
membered," they reply. 

The collector of taxes and those with him take their departure. It 
is past midnight. Paris is in slumber. Not all are asleep, however. The 
Duke of Guise, the Duke of Anjou, Catherine de' Medici, and ruffians, 
with drawm swords, ai'e awake on this Sunday morning — this Day of St. 
Bartholomew. At daybreak a bell will toll, and the crushing-out of the 
Huguenots will begin. The Duke of Guise is nervous, and so is Cath- 
erine. So many know of what is about to happen, that they fear the Hu- 
guenots will hear of it. 

Catherine hastens to Charles's chamber once more. He is sitting in 
a chair, moody, angry, silent. He has acquiesced in the plan till now; 
but as the hour for its consummation approaches, is iri'esolute. It will 
be so mean to have the old admiral, and others who have confided in his 
word, assassinated. Poor weakling that he is, there is still left a little of 




THE LOUVRE. 



'his better nature. The education that he has received from his mother — 
"that the end always justifies the means — the school of falsehood in which 

21 



322 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




ASSASSINATION OF COLIGNY. 



he has been taught, has not quite obliterated all sense of what is right 
and honorable. 

" Since you will not have the leader of the Huguenots harmed, since 
you are bent on having war once more, permit me to retire with your 
brother to a place of safety." 

He has always obeyed her. He is a boy, with no mind of his own. 
He springs to his feet. 



ST. BARTHOLOMEW. 323 

"Do it! do it! Kill him ! Kill all the Huguenots in Paris, that none 
may be left to reproach me ! Give the orders at once !" He rushes out 
of the room, and into his own chamber. 

" Strike the bell !" 

A moment later, and the bell on the church of St. Germain I'Auxerrois 
begins tolling at half-past one in the morning. The brave old admiral is 
asleep in his chamber, with his bandaged arm lying upon the counterpane. 
A Huguenot minister is sitting by his side, and Doctor Ambrose Parr is 
in a chamber near by. 

Boom ! boom ! boom ! The admiral hears the tolling. There is a 
tramping of feet in the street; men are rushing up the stairway of the 
hotel. The admiral understands it. His hour has come. He springs 
from the bed and puts on a dressing-gown. 

" Say a prayer for me, my friend. I commit my soul to my Saviour." 
The doctor comes in. 

" What is the meaning of this commotion ?" asks the doctor. 

" God is calling us. I am ready. Please leave me, and save your- 
selves." 

The minister and the doctor seek safety in flight — up-stairs, out upon 
the roof, reaching another house. The door of the admiral's room bursts 
open, and ruffians, with spears and swords, rush in. 

" Are you the admiral ?" 

" Young man, I am. You come against a wounded old man. You 
cannot much shorten my life." 

The spear goes into his bosom. 

" Oh, if it were only a man ! but it is only a horse-boy." 

The ruffian beats him over the head. Others enter and plunge their 
swords into the prostrate form. 

" Have you done it?" It is the Duke of Guise calling from the street. 

" Yes." 

" Throw him down." 

The ruffians drag the lifeless body to the window, raise the sash, and 
throw it out. It falls with a thud upon the ground. The Duke of Guise 
looks at it. The face is smeared with blood. He wipes it away with a 
corner of the dressing-gown. " 'Tis he, sure enough ;" and stamps his heel 
into the face. 

Ah! Duke of Guise, gloating over the form of the noble foe who 
was ever your equal in the field or in the cabinet, there will come another 
day. God never forgets ! 

A soldier severs the head from the body, and takes it to Catherine de' 



324 



THE STOllY or LIBERTY. 




JUST HEKOHE DAYBREAK, SUNDAY INFORNING — ST. nARTHOLOMEW 



Medici. So the head of John the Baptist was brought to Herod's wife. 
To whom does Catherine send it? Who of all on earth will be most 
pleased to receive such a present? Who but the Pope — her uncle! A 
messenger carries it to Rome, that the Pope may see with his own eyes 
that the great Huguenot leader is dead. 

Bells are tolling in every steeple. Torches glare in the streets. Armed 
men are rushing frantically from house to house, breaking in doors, rush- 
ing into chambers, murdering men and women in their beds, or plunging 
tlieir swords into their bosoms as they attempt to flee. Muskets are flash- 
ing. Charles himself fires upon the panic-stricken fugitives. All through 
the hours of the summer night the scene of death goes on. Henry Conde 
and Henry of Navarre are seized and brought before Charles. Catherine 
does not want them killed. She has other plans. 

"I mean to have but one religion in my kingdom. There shall be 
mass or death. Make your choice." It is Charles who utters it. 



r 



ST. BARTHOLOMEW. 



325 



"You have promised liberty of conscience to the Huguenots. I will 
take time to consider it," is the reply of Henry of Navarre. 

" As for me, I shall remain firm in my religion though I give my life 
for it," Henry Cond^ replies. 

" You rebel — you son of a rebel, if you do not change your language 
before three days, I will have you strangled !" 

Of the throng of Huguenot nobles who come to Paris to attend the 
wedding, all are seized. The Swiss Guards of the king are let loose upon 
them, and all are massacred. There they lie in a heap in the court-yard 
of the Louvre — two hundred of the noblest men of the kingdom. Charles, 
Catherine, the ladies of the court, go out and behold them — the men with 
whom they danced three days ago ! They gaze upon their ghastly coun- 
tenances besmeared with blood, and indulge in i-ibald laughter. So, it 
is said, the hyenas laugh when they 
have dug up the bones of the dead, 
and crunch them beneath their teeth. 

Never before was there sucii a 
festival of St. Bartholomew. Fam- 
ilies are broken up. There are sud- 
den partings, husbands from wives, 
parents from children, young men 
from the maidens whom they love, 
to meet no more, maybe, this side 
the grave. In the river are thou- 
sands of floating corpses — men, 
women, children. No age or sex is 
spared. 

"Kill the heretics!" It is the 
cry of the priests and the soldiers. 
What though fair maidens plead for 
mercy ? What though mothers pi'ay 
that the lives of their infants may 
be spared ? There is no pity, and 
the massacre goes on ; and not 
only in Paris, but in the country — 
in Lyons, Bordeaux, Orleans. Sev- 
enty thousand men, women, and 

/ PARTING TO MEET NO MORE. 

children are slaughtered. 

The bells of Rome are ringing, and the guns of St. Angelo thunder- 
ing ; bonfires blaze ; and Gregory XIII., attended by cardinals, archbish- 




326 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



ops, bishops, and a great throng of prelates, march in procession. A Tt 
Deum is chanted, and the Pope commissions the painter Vasari to paint 
the scene of the massacre, and employs an artist to engrave a medal com- 
memorative of the event. The preachers in Rome deliver eloquent ora- 
tions, and a messenger carries a golden rose to Charles as a present from 
the Pope. 

Fifteen months pass. Charles has acted strangely. The Venetian 




THE PICTURE AVHICH THE POPE ORDERED TO BE PAINTED. 

ambassador, Cavilli, makes the' king a visit, and writes of his appearance : 
"He is melancholy and sombre. He dares not look any one in the face. 
He drops his head, and closes his eyes. It is feared that the demon of 
vengeance has taken possession of him. He is becoming cruel." 

He grows weak and feeble, and will have no one near him except his 
nurse. His conscience is awake, and his mind racked with remorse. 
The screeches of the victims of St. Bartholomew are ringinoj in his ears. 



. ST. BARTHOLOMEW. 327 

He sees men, women, and children flying through the streets crying ±oJ 
mercy, pursued by blood-thirsty wretches. The air is tilled with ghosts ; 
the ground strewed w^itli ghastly corpses. 

" Ah, nurse ! what blood ! what murder ! Oh, what evil counsel have 
I followed !" Then he prays. " O God, forgive me ! Have mercy on 
me !" Despair sets in. " I'm lost ! I'm lost !" On July 30th, 1574, he 
ceases to breathe, and Henry, Duke of Anjou, Catherine's younger son, 
becomes Henry III., King of France. 



338 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

HOW THE "BEGGARS" FOUGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS. 

OF all people in Europe, none are more peacefully inclined than the- 
inhabitants of Holland. They are great workers, and have no de- 
sire to engage in quarrels with anybody. There was a time when a por- 
tion of their land was under the sea. The water was not deep, and the 
people built dikes — laying down bundles of brush, trunks of trees, heaping 
mud upon them, so fencing out the ocean. Then they erected windmills, 
and pumped out the water. They laid off the land into fields and gardens, 
built their houses, made the canals their highways, and so, as the years 
rolled on, there grew up a country, as it were, from beneath the sea. 




-,^^ 



A DOG TEAM. 



HOW THE "BEGGARS" FOUGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS. 



329 



The Dutch have little time to spend in pleasure. In winter, when the 
■canals are frozen, they get up skating parties ; but in summer the butter 
:and cheese must be made, and the 
cabbages cultivated. Everybody 
must work. Even the dogs are put 
into harness. By hard, patient labor 
they have become a thrifty people. 
Once they all accepted the Pope as 
the head of the Church ; but they 
have begun to think for themselves, 
and are fast becoming heretics. 
Charles, before he resigned his crown 
to Philip, began to burn and hang 
them. He taxed them unjustly, con- 
fiscated their property, cast them into 
prison. The men who ask questions 
have been sending thousands of men 
:a,nd women to jail. Fires blaze, and 
men are burned, not because they 
have committed crime, but because 
they read the Bible. Since Charles 
laid aside the crown, Philip has been 
•crushing out the heretics with all his 
might. More than one hundred thou- 

;sand have been put to death, thrust into jail, or driven from the country. 
The people have risen in revolt. One of Philip's officers called them a 
nation of beggars ; they have accepted the term, and have elected as their 
leader the Silent Man, William, on whose shoulder Charles leaned when 
he resigned his crown. The Silent Man is giving his money, his time, his 
energies, to the cause. He was a Catholic ; but he sees that men have a 
right to think for themselves, and is ready to lay down his life, if need 
be, for liberty. He has been defeated in battle again and again, has been 
so straitened in circumstances that he had not money enough to buy a 
breakfast ; but he has gathered another army, and is determined to drive 
the Spaniards out of Holland. 

In 1574, the Spaniards are besieging Leyden. Philip offers the citizens 

of the town a pardon if they will surrender. But what have they done 

that they should accept a pardon ? Nothing. They have been thinking for 

themselves, and reading the Bible, which the Pope has forbidden ; but have 

they not a right to read it ? If so, they will not ask pardon of any one. 

21* 




AVILLIAAI THE SILENT. 



330 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




THE GREAT CANAL. 



Philip is in Spain, eating bacon -fat and witnessing the bnrning of 
heretics. This is the answer which the people of Lejden send to him : 

"As long as there is a man left, we will fight for our liberty and our 
religion." 

General Yaldez, one of Philip's officers, is sent by the Duke of Alva 
to level the city to the ground. After taking Leyden, he will sail up the 
Great Canal to Amsterdam. Five miles from Leyden is a great dike — the 
Land-scheiding. Three-quarters of a mile nearer is another, called the 
Greenway. There is another still, called the Kirkway. Inside of these 
are the forts and redoubts — sixty-two in all, which are in the possession 
of the Spaniards. Half a pound of meat and half a pound of bread 
is all they have to eat a day, the aldermen weighing it out to each per- 
son in the city. On ever}' side the Spaniards pitch their tents. The peo- 
ple of Leyden are shut in. Only by pigeons can they send word to 
the Prince of Orange. They have no soldiers ; but every citizen is a 
soldier, and so is every woman. May and June pass ; there are frequent 
skirmishes. 

" We will pay a bounty for the head of every Spaniard," say the 
burgomasters of Leyden, and now and then a man steals out, kills a 



HOW THE "BEGGARS" FOUGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS. 



331 



Spaniard, cuts off his head, brings it in, and sticks it upon a pole on the 
walls, that the Spaniards may see it. 

The Spanish general expects to starve the " beggars " into submission. 
The days go by. The Prince of Orange cannot raise an army large enough 
to fight Valdez ; but there is one thing that can be done — he can let in the 
sea upon the land, and drown out the hateful myrmidons of the Pope and 
of Philip. The people hail the proposition with joy. " Better a drowned 
land than a lost land. We can pump it dry again, if we drown it ; but if 
we yield to the Spaniards, our liberties are gone forever," they say. 

" Cut the sluices !" It is the order issued by the Silent Man, and men 
go to work with their spades digging away the dikes. But what will 
the people in the country do? They must leave their homes. There is 
a scene of confusion. They take their pigs, cattle, goats, their goods and 
chattels, on board their boats, and hasten to Amsterdam. It is hard to 
see the property disappearing beneath the waves, to behold their houses 
floating away ; but better this than to give up their rights. 

A pigeon flies into Leyden with a letter fastened to its neck. The 
burgomaster reads the letter to the people : 

" The dikes are cut. There are two hundred vessels ready to sail to 
your relief loaded with provisions." 

The cannon thunder, the bells ring, the people sing a psalm of thanks- 
giving over the joyful news, for starvation is staring them in the face. 








THE FORTIFICATIONS. 



The Spaniards wonder what is going on in the city. It is not long, 
however, before they know that something is going on outside which they 



332 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

never dreamed of. The water begins to rise around them. What is the 
meaning of it ? It rises slowly. Light dawns upon them. The dikes are 
broken, and an enemy which they will be powerless to resist is stealing 
upon them. It rises ten inches, and comes to a stand-still. They are safe. 
It will not rise any higher. They laugh at the " beggars." 

" Go up the steeples, you ' beggars,' and see if the ocean is coming to 
your relief." 

The people go up and look toward the north. They can see water 
covering the fields, but then it is only a few inches deep, and the Spaniards' 
camp is still on dry land. They gaze in sorrow, for the bread and meat 
are nearly gone. People are already starving. 

There are sea " beggars " as well as land " beggars," and the " beggars " 
of the sea are getting ready to come to the aid of their beleaguered 
brethren. 

Admiral Poisot commands them. They are hardy sailors — twenty- 
five hundred in number. The man on the tower in Leyden discovers 
the " beggars " of the sea. There they are, only five miles away, two 
hundred armed vessels loaded with provisions. Tlie vessels have sailed 
in over the submerged land fifteen miles, passing over fields and gar- 
dens. The fieet reaches the great dike — the Land-scheiding, which is 
guarded by the Spaniards ; but the " beggars " of the sea open fire 
upon them. Some of them leap out of the ships, wade to the dike, and 
quickly overpower the Spaniards. None are spared, but all are put to 
death. 

Now the "beggars" are at work with their spades breaking down the 
dikes, the water rushes tlii'ough, and the vessels float on. 

The admiral seizes the second main dike, the Greenway, and breaks 
it down. He floats his ships to a stone bridge, a fortress in itself, swarm- 
ing with Spaniards. The admiral cannot take it. His vessels ground. 
The M'ind is off the shore, and the water, instead of rising, is falling away. 
For a week the vessels lie there imbedded in the mud. 

The wind suddenly whirls north-west, and the waves roll in once more. 
The vessels float. They are only half a mile fi'om Leyden, but between 
the fleet and the^city is the Kirkway, and tlie forts, swarming with Span- 
iards and bristling with guns. Oli, how dismal the days in the besieged 
town ! Thousands have died of starvation. Bread — there is none. All 
the malt-cake has been eaten. The people are eating dogs, cats, and rats. 
A few cows only are left. When one is killed, every scrap is eaten. 
They boil the hide, make it into soup. They eat the intestines, boil the 
horns to get the last particle of man-ow. The famishing creatures strip 




I 



HOW THE "BEGGARS " FOUGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS. 335 

the leaves from the trees, dig np the roots of grass growing in the streets, 
and devour them. 

Infants starve in the arms of their mothers, and mothers drop dead in 
the streets, or creep away to die in some lonely place. The watchmen, as 
they go their rounds, find corpses everywhere. Eight thousand have died 
of starvation. The air is reeking with malaria, but still the people of Ley- 
den hold out. 

Pieter Van der Werff is burgomaster. He stands in the market-place 
-tall, haggard with hunger, worn out with watching. 

There are a few faint-hearted ones. " Give up the city," they cry. 

"Would you have me surrender? I have taken my oath to hold the 
city. May God give me strength to keep it ! Here, take my sword ; 
plunge it into my body; divide my flesh to appease your hunger, if you 
will ; but, God helping me, I never will surrender." 

Brave Yan der Werff ! For this heroic firmness your name shall go 
down the centuries. 

" Ha ! ha ! How do you rat-eaters get on ? The sea hasn't come to 
Leyden yet." It is the taunt which the Spaniards shout, secure in the 
fortifications. 

" You call us rat-eaters. We are ; but so long as you can hear a dog 
bark inside of the walls, you may know that the city holds out. We will 
€at our left arms, and fight with our right. When we can stand no longer, 
we will set fire to the city, and perish in the flames, rather than give up 
our liberties," is the answer hurled into the teeth of the Spaniards. 

The night of October 1st comes. The city is at its last gasp. Day 
after day the wind has been off the shore, and the fleet has lain motionless 
in the mud. The wind whirls south-west and blows a hurricane. The 
sea is rolling in. The water rises. The vessels float. " Hurrah !" The 
cry goes up from the " beggars " of the sea. The morning comes, the fleet 
is close upon two of the forts. The Spaniards are seized with a panic. 
They leave the fortifications, and rush along the dike. The " beggars " 
of the sea chase them, throwing harpoons, and striking them down just as 
they have harpooned the walruses of the north seas. Only one foi-t blocks 
the path of the " beggars " now. Let them but take that, and the city will 
•be saved. Night comes on. In the morning the "beggars" will open 
upon the fortress with all their cannon. The waves are rolling in, dashing 
over the dikes. Dark and gloomy the hours. In the city everybody is 
astir; for when morning comes the citizens will make a sortie, and fight 
their way to the fleet. 

Crash ! There is a sound of a falling wall. The citizens stand aghast, 



336 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



for the Waves have nndei-mined the wall of the city, and there is a wide 
gap through which the Spaniards can enter the town. There is a hubbub 
in the Spanish camp. All is lost ! No, not all. Day dawns. The forts 
are silent. No Spaniards are in sight, not even a sentinel pacing his beat. 

Just outside of the fort is the fleet. The cannon are loaded, and the 
men stand with lighted matches. The " beggars " of the sea are deter- 
mined to sweep all before them. 

The admiral sees a man wading through the water toward the fleet, 
while the people in the city see a boy waving his cap from one of the 
forts. What is the meaning of it ? 

" They are gone !" he cries. 

There is not a Spaniard left. At midnight they fled. The falling of 
the wall fllled them with consternation. They think the citizens are mak- 
ing a sortie, and flee along the dike, and now they are miles away. They 
might have stayed secure. The fleet might have been beaten back. Had 
they waited till daybreak, they might have marched into the city over the 
fallen w-all. 

Up to the town sail the ships ; out from their houses creep the starv- 
ing citizens. The sailors are tossing meat and loaves of bread on shore. 
The starving creatures eat as wolves eat; and then they enter the great 

church, fall on their knees, and, with 



tears upon their cheeks, give thank& 
to God, 

Never again shall the Spaniard 
beleaguer Leydeu ; never again shall 
Philip encamp his armies in their 
rields, over which the sea is rolling. 
They have drowned their land, but 
liave saved that which is worth more 
than houses, lands, or life — their lib- 
erty. From this time on they will 
wage war against the Spaniards till 
they drive them from the country. 
There is great rejoicing in Amster- 
dam. The people send more sup- 
}>lies to their friends in Ley den. 
Other cities contribute. Elizabeth 
of England befriends tnem. She is 




THE OLD CHUKCH. 



greatly moved when she hears of 
their sufferijigs, and of their bravery 



HOW THE "BEGGARS" FOUGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS. 



337 



and endurance. She sends Sir William Davison with money to aid them. 
Sir William has a young man for his secretary, William Brewster, who 
performs his duties so faithfully that tlie burgomaster presents him with 




AMSTERDAM. 



a gold chain. Let us take a good look at this young man, for we shall 
see him by-and-by in tlie old manor-house at Scrooby, and on the shores 
of New England, laying the foundations of liberty in the New World. 
Sir William Davison is his friend ; and Elizabeth's great minister. Sir 
Thomas Cecil, has appointed him to this position. He is in high favor. 
He loves liberty, and his soul is greatly stirred at the outrages committed 
by the Spaniards. He is learning early in life that liberty is worth more 
than all things else. 

22 



338 THE STORY OF LIBERTY, 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

WHY THE QUEEN OF SCOTLAND LOST HER HEAD. 

EIGHTEEN years have passed since Mary of Scotland fled from the 
kingdom. She has been a prisoner the while. Going back to that 
day when she came, weary and worn, to Carlisle, we see her sending a 
letter to Elizabeth asking for an interview, which the Queen of England 
will not grant, but who sends Sir Francis Knollys to give a reason for the 
refusal. While Sir Francis is on his way, a letter conies from Catherine 
de' Medici. Thus it reads : " Princes should assist each other to chastise 
and punish subjects who rise against them, and are rebels against their 
sovereigns." 

Catherine wants Elizabeth to march an army into Scotland to put 
down Mary's half-brother, the Earl of Murray, who, though ruling in the 
name of 'Mary's son, is in reality king. 

Sir Francis has an interview with Mary. 

" Some suspicions are abroad in regard to the complicity of your grace 
in the murder of Lord Darnley, and the queen will appoint a commission 
to investigate the matter," says Sir Francis. 

" I am not answerable to the Queen of England. Sovereigns are 
amenable to no one," is Mary's reply. 

" Princes may be deposed by their subjects in some cases — if insane, 
for instance, or if they have committed murder," Sir Francis replies. 

The tears steal down Mary's cheeks. This is the new doctrine. Kings 
and queens answerable to their subjects ? Never. To admit it will be 
admitting that they can do wrong. It is the doctrine which George 
Buchanan inculcated in that little pamphlet which he published, written 
in Latin, and entitled " De Jure Regni." To admit such a doctrine will 
be admitting that subjects can cut off the heads of sovereigns ; whereas 
from time immemorial only sovereigns have had the right to decapitate 
subjects. 

George Buchanan is superintending the education of Mary's boy. King 
James. Tlie boy is proud and wilful, and thinks that, as he is king, he 



WHY THE QUEEN OF SCOTLAND LOST HER HEAD. 



339 



may do as he pleases. One of his playmates is the young Earl of Mar, 
who has a tame sparrow, which James would like to own. 

" Give it to me," is his demand. 

" I won't," the Mar boy replies, not wishing to part with his pet. 

" ft is mine. I am king," James retorts, and seizes it. 

" Take that !" and Mar gives him a blow in the face with his fist. 




QUEEN ELIZABETH. 



" What is all this fuss about ?" George Buchanan asks, as he enters 
the room. 

" He has seized my sparrow,*' says Mar. 

" It was mine. I am king," James answers. 

" King, are you ? I'll teach you not to take things by force ;" and 
the boy -king has his ears boxed. 



340 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

One day George Buchanan is reading, and James and Mar disturb 
him. 

" Be quiet !" says Buchanan. 

" I shall make as much noise as I please. I have the right ; I am 
king." 

George Buchanan lays down his book, takes the King of Scotland over 
his knee, and gives him a spanking. The Countess of Mar rushes in, with 
her hands uplifted in horror. 

" How dare you lift your hand against the Lord's anointed ?" she cries. 

It is not a very polite reply which gruff George Buchanan makes ; but 
he informs her that the boy, although he is king, must behave himself, 
and have respect to the rights of others. 

Mary's friends — the Cardinal of Lorraine in France, the Duke of Nor- 
folk in England — are intriguing with some of the nobles of Scotland to 
create disaffection in England against Elizabeth. The Duke of Norfolk 
will rally his followers ; the Cardinal of Lorraine and the Duke of Guise 
will raise an army in France ; tiie Scots will take the field, bring about a 
revolution in England, dethrone Elizabeth, liberate Mary, and make her 
queen not only of Scotland, but of England. The Duke of Norfolk pro- 
poses to marry her. He is rich and powerful, and under his lead England 
and Scotland shall once more be brought under the authority of the Pope. 

The Pope knows what is going on. He has a plan for the extermina- 
tion of all who will not submit to his authority. They shall be crushed 
out in England and France alike. 

" Take no prisoners, but kill all who fall into your hands," is his mes- 
sage to the Duke of Guise.* He sends a present to the Duke of Alva, 
Philip's blood-thirsty general, who is trying to crush out the liberties of 
the people of Holland. Fugitives from France and the Netherlands flee 
to England to find protection, and ai-e protected. 

Shall Elizabeth release Mary from prison ? It is the one great ques- 
tion. It was a breach of hospitality to put her in prison. Mary came 
into England a fugitive. For eighteen years she has been a prisoner. 
Why ? Because she is the central figure around whom all the conspir- 
ators rally. The Jesuits are travelling through the country denouncing 
Elizabeth. Philip of Spain is sending his spies throughout the land to 
stir up the people to rebel. The Duke of Guise will help. The disaf- 
fected Scots will rally to overthrow the Earl of Murray. 

On February 25th, 1570, the Pope publishes a bull absolving all Eng- 

* "History of the Popes," Ranke, vol. i., p. 383. 



WHY THE QUEEN OF SCOTLAND LOST HER HEAD. 341 

lishmen from allegiance to Elizabeth, and enjoining them not to obey her 
commands. The Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland begin the 
rebellion. Shall Elizabeth remain quiet, and see the affections of her sub- 
jects alienated ? 

Now comes the news that the streets of Paris are running with the 
blood of murdered Huguenots. If heretics are murdered in France, why 
may they not be in England ? 

On September 5th, 1570, the Bishop of London writes a letter to Sir 
William Cecil, Elizabeth's prime minister : " Men's hearts ache for fear 
that this barbarous treachery will not stop in France, but will reach us." 

Bisliop Sandys, who owns the old manor-house at Scrooby, writes to 
Sir William Cecil : " Cut off the Scottish queen's head forthwith." 

Why does Bishop Sandys desire that Mary shall lose her head ? Be- 
cause that she is the one individual around whom all the powers of Spain, 
F]-ance, Scotland, and Rome rally, for the overthrow of the government 
in Church and State, established by Henry VIII., overthrown by Mary, 
and re-established by Elizabeth. 

Parliament passes a law making it treason for any one to publish the 
Pope's bull in England, or to deny that Elizabeth is rightful queen ; but, 
notwithstaiiding the law, the Jesuits are determined to drive Elizabeth 
from the throne. What care they for law ? To the Pope alone are they 
amenable. 

A great number of Jesuit priests — Englishmen, who have been study- 
ing at Douay, in France — come one by one. 

" Elizabeth is a usurper. She is no longer queen. The Pope has de- 
posed her. Mary is the true queen." They whisper it to the people, to 
incite them to rebellion. It is not long before the priests are arrested. 

" We are not traitors. You persecute us because we are Catholics," 
say the prisoners. 

" For fourteen years none have been persecuted on account of their 
religion here in England. Do you not support the Pope's bull ?" the 
judges ask. 

" The Pope in his bull says it is not binding on us to resist the queen, 
unless the bull can be executed," the Jesuits respond. That is what Loyola 
taught. 

"That means that when you are strong enough you will drive the 
queen from the throne. If England is attacked, will you support the 
queen ?" 

The Jesuits make no reply. They are condemned as traitors, as in- 
citers of rebellion , and are executed. 



342 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

Now comes the news, in 1584, of the assassination of William, the 
Silent Man. Papists did it. All England becomes hot against the Jes- 
uits. They are arrested by scores, and put to death. The Jesuits are sus- 
pected and closely watched. Those who have been to confession, or at- 
tended mass in secret places, are thrown into prison. The country is in 
no mood to tolerate liberty of conscience. 

Over in Paris is Fi-ancis Walsingham, who is beating the Jesuits at 
their own game. He has his spies everywhere. Servants who wait on 
tables, hair-dressers, chamber-maids, valets, coachmen — men in all stations 
— have their eyes and ears open day and night to see and hear what is 
going on, and Sir Francis pays them. He discovers that there is a plot 
to assassinate Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne. The conspirators 
in France and Spain are in correspondence with others in England. Mary 
knows what is going on. The conspirators in England are arrested and 
executed. What shall be done with Mary ? The ministers appoint a 
court to try her. 

" I am not a subject, to be tried ; I am a queen," is Mary's protest. 

" You cannot try one who reigns by the command of God," say her 
friends. 

" She has resigned her crown, and is no longer queen," the judges 
reply. 

" She resigned because she was compelled to, and therefore it is not 
binding," her friends respond. 

''''The safety of the people is the highest law^'' say the judges, over- 
throwing at once the doctrine that kings and queens have rights so sacred 
that they cannot be dealt with. The judges have read George Buchanan's 
little pamphlet, and the world is beginning to understand that kings and 
queens are amenable to law as well as common people. 

The court declares Mary guilty, and Parliament presents an address 
to Elizabeth asking her to sign a warrant for her execution, for no one 
can be executed unless the queen signs the warrant. Elizabeth hesitates. 
Mary is her cousin. Shall she put her to death ? Parliament has de- 
clared her to be an enemy to the public peace — a conspirator. H Eliz- 
abeth were to die, Mary would claim the throne, and there would be no 
end of, trouble. Henry III. of France sends a letter threatening Eliza- 
beth with vengeance if Mary be put to death. Mary's son James sends 
commissioners to intercede for her ; while Philip II. of Spain prepares to 
make war on England. 

Elizabeth is moody and silent. Those who wait upon her hear her 
talking- to herself. 



WHY THE QUEEN OF SCOTLAND LOST HER HEAD. 343 

" Strike, or be struck !" 

A letter comes from Spain : " Pliilip is fitting out a great fleet and 
army to invade England." 

Elizabeth appoints Earl Howard, a Catholic, as lord high admiral, to 
command her fleets, which gives great offence to some of her friends ; but 
the earl is an Englishman, and his allegiance to his sovereign is his first 
duty. Elizabeth will trust him. She talks over Mary's case with him ; 
what they say no one knows : but when the earl leaves her, he calls in 
Sir AYilliam Davison. 

" The queen desires you to prepare a wan-ant for the execution of the 
Queen of Scots," he says. 

Sir William writes it in secret, though quite likely his secretary, Wil- 
liam Brewster, knows what he is doing, for Sir William places implicit 
confidence in him. When it is ready, Sir William enters the queen's 
apartment, and Elizabeth signs her name in a bold hand, as she is wont 
to do. A messenger hastens away with the document ; and in the Castle 
of Fotheringay the Scottish queen, whose life has been one of so many 
vicissitudes, who has seen little happiness, but much sorrow, meets her sad 
and mournful fate. She has committed no crime ; but while she lives, 
the liberties of England are in danger of being overthrown, and the peo- 
ple breathe more freely when they hear that she is dead. 




ADTOGRAPH OF QUEEN ELIZAUETH. 



344: THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER XXYII. 

THE RETRIBUTION THAT FOLLOWED CRIME. 

THE Huguenots of France are not exterminated bj the terrible mas. 
sacre of St. Bartholomew ; there are still one hundred thousand in 
the kingdom. Catherine de' Medici and the Duke of Guise are deter- 
mined to root them out, and the young king, Henry HI., is a pliant tool 
in their hands. 

" I will have but one religion in the State," is the edict of the weak 
boy-king. The Huguenots must give up tlieir religion, or fight for life, 
liberty, and property. Give up they will not. A terrible war begins. 
Henry of Navarre is the leader of the Huguenots. The whole country is 
disturbed. Amidst all the commotion, what is the young King of J'rance 
doing ? He is down in the city of Lyons, buying all the little dogs, par- 
rots, and monkeys he can find — paying more than one hundred thousand 
crowns for them. With him are two hundred women, and as many men 
— ladies and gentlemen of the court, who have nothing to do but to eat 
and drink, dance and sing, and dawdle their time away ; while the peo- 
ple, with no security of life or property, with no freedom of thought or 
action, are plundered by the tax-collectors of their hard earnings, to main- 
tain the worthless, dissolute creatures in all their mock gentility. 

We come to 1588. The Duke of Guise has been laying a plot to get 
rid of Henry III., and also Henry of Navarre, the leader of the Hugue- 
nots, who is heir to the throne. The duke is not content with being a 
duke ; he must be kino-. But how shall he do it ? He will summon the 
Jesuits. He will manage to have his own immediate friends appointed 
chief inquisitors. He consults with the Holy League. But the king is 
aware of what is going on. He sees through the plan of the wily man, 
who is on his way from Nancy, a town in Nortliern France, to Paris. 

" You must not enter Paris without my consent," is the order which 
the king sends to him. What does the Duke of Guise care for that ? 
Nothing. 

" If you will break with the king, I will send you three hundred thou- 



THE RETRIBUTION THAT FOLLOWED CRIME. 



345 



I 



sand crowns, and seven thousand soldiers," is the word which comes to 
the diike from Philip II. 

The Leaguers are in Paris, secretly stirring up the people, distributing 
money to the rabble. 

" What a noble, generous man the Duke of Guise must be ! He does 
not spend his money buying 
poodles and monkej's !" So 
say the people, as the coins 
drop into their hands. They 
are ready to take up arms for 
such a man against the weak- 
minded Henry. 

At noon. May 12th, a man 
in a white doublet, black cloak, 
tall, dignified, with a scar on 
his face, enters the Gate of St. 
Martin. All Paris is out to 
welcome him. " Hurrah for 
the Duke of Guise!" The 
shout runs along the streets. 
The people come out witli 
their arms, and the king flies 
in terror to a place of safet3\ 
Then there are negotiations, 
and the weak, vacillating kini;' 
comes to terms, accedes to 
all the duke's demands, pub- 
lishes an edict against the Hu- 
guenots, and another declaring 
that Henry of Navarre has no 
right to the throne. The king 
appoints to office all whom the 
duke says must be appointed 
— the duke himself being made lieutenant-general, commanding the army. 

Christmas comes. The duke is master. The king feels his degradation. 

" What shall I do ?" He puts the question to one of his trusty friends, 

"Arrest the duke, and have him tried." 

" Strike him at once. He is plamiing your destruction. You never 
can try him for treason. Strike, and get rid of him," is the advice of 
anotiier. 




IIENKY III. 



346 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



Walls have ears ; and a servant, a spy of the dnke's, hears it. The 
duke is sitting at dinner, when a servant hands him a note. Thus it 
reads : " The king intends to kill you." 

The duke takes a pen and writes, " He does not dare to." The duke 
does not know, nor does he care, who sent the note, for he is conscious of 
his power. To-morrow morning he is to meet the king in council, and he 
will make new demands more humiliating to the king. Morning comes, 
and the duke enters the council-chamber. It is cold and chilly. 

" Will you kindle a fire ?" 

A servant lights the wood upon the hearth, and the duke warms him- 
self, eating, wliile doing it, some plums, which another servant brings him. 




"with what ME^'iUKL IL MLIL, IT hll VLL BE MEASURED TO YOU AGAIN." 

, " The king would like to see you in his chamber." The Secretary of 
State brings the message. JSTow he will make his demands. Ever}' Hu- 
guenot shall be exterminated. He pulls up his cloak, and takes his hat. 
Some of the councillors have come in. He bows to them with kingly 
grace, and passes through a door. Whip ! whip ! whip ! whip ! whip ! 
Five strokes from as many poniards. Nine men have been standing con- 
cealed in the passage-way, and five of them have plunged their weapons 
into his body. 

" God have mercy !" It is his only cry. There he lies, close by the 
king's bed, his blood flowing from five ghastly wounds. 



I 



THE RETRIBUTION THAT FOLLOWED CRIME. 847 

The king comes from an inner chamber, " Is it done ?" 

" Yes." " 

The king bends over the body and kicks it. Who was he that stamped 
the heel of his boot into the face of the dead Coligny, sixteen years ago, 
on the night of St. Bartholomew ? The Duke of Guise, now weltering 
in his gore, did not stop on that eventful night to ponder the words of 
Christ concerning retribution, " With what measure ye mete, it shall be 
measured to you again." But the ^-etributive hour has come, and the 
, words spoken by that Carpenter of Galilee are not fiction, but stern 
and irreversible fact. The time has been long, but the measure has 
come at last. 

" I am king." Henry speaks the words, and goes to see his mother, 
Catherine, old and feeble now. 

" How are 3'ou this morning ?'^ 

" Better," Catherine replies. 

" So am I." 

" You have had the duke put out of the way, I hear. I hope the cut- 
ting is all right ; but now for the sewing." So the mother addresses the 
son. Thirteen days later, the grandniece of Leo X. — the woman who 
poisoned Jeanne d'Albret, who planned the massacre of St. Bartholomew, 
who poisoned her own son Charles, who has been accessory to many other 
crimes — lies upon her bed, weak, helpless, with death staring her in the 
face. " Blood ! blood ! There is a river of blood !" she cries. " See ! see ! 
The devils are after me ! they are dragging me down to hell." 

She is a maniac. Death steals on apace. The withered hands move 
convulsively; the once fair face is haggard now; the lips quiver, and the 
breathing ceases. Death has come, and that is the end ! Is it ? If the 
good which men do lives after them, does the evil die when the pulse 
ceases its beatings ? No. A legacy of blood and hate, of war and crime, 
is what Catherine de' Medici bequeaths to France. 

Six months pass. The King of France and Henry of Navarre are at 
St. Cloud, with their armies. The land is convulsed with civil war. Paris 
is in the hands of the Holy Leaguers, who fain would exterminate every 
Huguenot. 

It is Tuesday, August 1st, that a monk appears at St. Cloud ; he has 
come from Paris, with a message for the king. 

" You can't go in," says the guard. 

" Let him come in," shouts the king from his tent. The monk passes 
in, bows low before the king to present a paper. A poniard flashes in the 
air^ and the monk drives it to the hilt into the king's abdomen. 



348 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



" He has killed me !" The shout is heard by the guards, who rusli in 
in season to see the king falling to the floor. Jacques Clement stands 




JACQUES CLEMENT KILLING THE KING. 

there, with his arms outstretched, as if to make a crucifix of himself in 
his fanatical hatred of the king. In a moment he is hacked to pieces. 

Henry of Navarre and the Duke of Sully are with the army. A horse- 
man rides up at a swift pace, bows to Henry, and whispers in his ear, and 
the three gallop to St. Cloud. The king is dying, but conscious. 

" Navarre is your king ; recognize him as the rightful King of France,"^ 
are the words that fall from the lips of the wounded sovereign. 

" We will." 

" Swear it." 

The noblemen who have gathered round fall upon their knees, and lift 
their hands to heaven in confirmation of their promise. The dead king 
is borne to his tomb ; and the boy born and nurtured among the defiles 
of the Pyrenees, whose infant lips were wet with wine and chafed with 
garlic by a doting old grandfather, is King of France — Henry TV., the 
first of the house of Bourbon. 

Though Henry IV. has come to the throne, the war is not yet ended. 
The Leaguers are in possession of Paris, and the Duke of MayennCj 
youngest brother of the Duke of Guise, their leader. The war widens. 



THE RETRIBUTION THAT FOLLOWED CRIME. 



349 



Queen Elizabeth of England sends over six thousand men to aid Henry. 
On March 14th the two armies meet on the plain of Ivry, Henry with 
ten thousand, and the Duke of Mayenne with thirteen thousand men. 

"My children," says the king, just as the battle is beginning, " if you 
lose sight of your colors, rally to my white plume : you will always find 
it in the path to honor and glory. The historian Macaulay tells us about 
tlie battle : 

" The king is come to marshal us, in all his armor drest, 
And he has bound a snow-white plume upon his gallant crest. 
He looked upon his people, and a tear was in his eye ; 
He looked upon the traitors, and his glance was stern and high. 
Right graciously he smiled on us, as rolled from wing to wing, 
Down all our line, a deafening shout, 'God save our lord the king!' 
'And if my standard-bearer tall, as fall full well he may, 
For never saw I promise yet of such a bloody fray. 
Press where ye see my white plume shine, amidst the ranks of war, 
And be your oriflamme to-day the helmet of Navarre.' " 

The Leaguers are utterly routed. Their commander is a fat man ; he 
seeks safety in flight, but is overtaken and captured. Henry treats him 
kindly. 

" Spare the French," are his orders to his troops. He will not have a 
Erenchman put to death. 




FOR THE SAKE OJr I'EAL I,, HK WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THE POl'E. 



/ 



350 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

But how shall Henry govern ? He is a Huguenot, while three-fourths 
of the people of France are Catholics. He cares very little for the forms 
of religion ; but he believes that every man should be allowed to think for 
himself in religious matters. He sees that the country is torn by factions. 
He would have the people united ; and, to bring about a union, decides to 
give in his adhesion to the Roman Church. Some of the bigoted Cath- 
olics say that he is a hypocrite, while many of the Huguenots accuse him 
of being a traitor. For the sake of peace, he acknowledges the Pope as 
the head of the Church. He marks out his course of action. There shall 
be freedom of conscience to every man, and tliere shall be no more burn- 
ing or hanging of heretics. 

The country has been drenched in blood since Bernard Palissy, the 
potter, and his friends began to think for themselves ; but at last, after the 
weary years, the people may think for themselves, without fear of priest 
or Pope. 

Henry publicly abjures the Huguenot faith, and ranks himself a Cath- 
olic ; but on April 13th, 1598, in the old town of Nantes, he publishes an 
edict guaranteeing protection and toleration to all. So liberty, like a ship 
at sea, after breasting the storm and tempest, sails in calmer w^aters. 



WILLIAM BKEWSTEU AND HIS FRIENDS. 351 



CHAPTER XXYIII. 

WILLIAM BREWSTER AND HIS FRIENDS. 

ALTHOUGH sixty years have rolled away since Cardinal Wolsey 
. made the old manor-house at Scrooby his home, some of the old 
people living there can remember how he distributed alms to the poor on 
Sunday, how he fed the lame and the blind from his kitchen-table. It is 
the year 1590, and the occupant of the old house is the young man, Wil- 
liam Brewster — Sir William Davison's secretary. He has seen the hol- 
lowness of court life, and is dissatisfied with it. He learns that men who 
will be great have no end of trouble. Elizabeth has made him one of 
her postmasters, and there he is, living a quiet and peaceful life, looking 
after the mail, and the post-riders, and the travellers who go by post from 
London up the great road to York. 

Great changes are taking place in England. Men are beginning to be 
independent in thought and action. Robert Brown, a zealous minister, 
has been preaching to congregations in London. Richard Clifton — a 
man with a long white beard — is also preaching independently of any 
authority from the bishop. William Brewster believes that every man 
has the right to think for himself; that neither bishop, pope, king, nor 
queen should control men in religious matters. Many of his neighbors at 
Scrooby, Austerfield, Bawtry, Gainsborough, and other little hamlets, are 
of the same way of thinking. They believe in having a pure worship, 
and object to the wearing of gold-embroidered vestments by the bishops, 
to bowing before the altar during service, and making the sign of the 
cross when their children are baptized. They hate mummery, and so stay 
away from church, although it has been decreed that everybody in Eng- 
land must attend church, of which Elizabeth is the head. H they do not, 
the bishops will know why. They have a complicated machinery of 
courts to compel everybody to believe as they shall direct. Every man 
and woman in England must believe in the Thirty -nine Articles, which 
have been decreed by Parliament and the queen. Commissioners have 
been appointed to inquire about " heretical opinions," " seditious books," 



552 



THE STORY OF LIBEllTY. 



and to punish all who shall stay away from church on Sunday. They 
arrest and imprison all who disobey their commands. The bishops hang 
John Copping and Elias Thacker, and arrest Henry Barrow and John 
'Greenwood. For what ? For not believing as they believe. Although 




DANCING ON THE GREEN. 



Archbishop Whitgift is himself a heretic, he will not tolerate a man who 
•does not believe as he believes. If the Pope will not tolerate Archbishop 
Whitgift, he, in turn, will not tolerate John Copping and the rest. 

In the great struggle for liberty brave men lay down their lives — 
not on the battle-field, charging up to the cannon's mouth, but on the 
scaffold, or else wasting away in loathsome prisons. John Copping and 
Elias Thacker believe that men should lead pure lives. 

The English people, for the most part, are a roistering set. They love 
out-door sports, hunting and fishing, and games — pitching quoits, wrestling, 
and dancing. They go into the green-woods on bright summer days, and 
have a dance — men, women, and children joining in the sport. In the 
winter the villagers gather in a peasant's cabin, and hold their rustic balls. 
They are rude in their manners, and spend much of their time in play 
and idleness. 

John Copping, and others like him, think that so much dancing, feast- 




23 



WILLIAM BREWSTER AND HIS FRIENDS. 



355 



ing, and idleness are a waste of time ; that they are not promotive of good 
morals. Sunday afternoons are given to games and dances. The good 
ministers believe that Sunday should not be used as a holiday, and they 
preach boldly for a purer way of living. The peasants are not the only 
ones who need reforming, for the carpenters, joiners, the tradesmen, and 
the well-to-do people spend a great deal of time in the ale-houses over 
their foaming mugs of beer. Archbishop Whitgift does not trouble him- 
self about such things : he has little to say against dancing on Sunday, 
or against their sports and drinking, or the drunkenness, and idleness, 
and immorality; but he cannot tolerate a man who will not think as 
he thinks. He looks sharply after those who dissent from his way of 
thinking. For six years he keeps Henry Barrow in prison. He does not 
quite dare to burn him, for the people of England do not intend to have 
any more roasting of human beings; but one morning, before London is 
astir, he has the poor man taken out to Tyburn, and speedily put to death 
by hanging. The same day he arrests John Penry, a Welshman, who 




ALE-DRINKERS. 



has written a pamphlet in which he maintains that every man has a right 
to act according to the dictates of his conscience in matters pertaining to 
religion. Archbishop Whitgift cannot permit any such heresy. On June 
7th, 1593, John Penry is taken out and hanged. 



356 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



Cliftoii is not there, John Robinson preaches. 



Notwithstanding the bishops are hunting down those whom they de- 
risively call Puritans, it does not deter the postmaster at Scrooby and his 
friends from thinking for themselves. More than that, Brewster invites 
his neighbors to come to the old manor-house on Sunday, to hear a man 
M'ith a long wdiite beard — Richard Clifton — preach: sometimes, when 

After the service Brewster 
gives them bread and beer. 
He and his friends believe that 
any body of Christian believers 
may be a church, and that 
the minister is their bishop. 
They believe that the churches 
organized by Peter, Paul, and 
the other apostles were just 
such churches. 

Among those w4io come to 
hear Richard Clifton is a boy 
from Austerfield, William Brad- 
ford. The register in the Aus- 
terfield church contains the 
record of William's baptism : 

"William son of Will"" Bradfourth 
baptized the XlXth daj- of March Anno 
dm 1589." 



The next day, after the 
hanging of Penry, Parliament 
passes a law imprisoning for 
three months all who do not conform to the Queen's Church, with the 
confiscation of all their property, and perpetual banishment from Eng- 
land. 

A non-conforming church has been gathered in London ; but upon the 
passage of this law it is broken up, many of its members being banished, 
or else seeking safety in Holland. The postmaster of Scrooby and his 
friends, being so far away, are not molested ; and Sunday after Sunday 
they meet in the old manor-house for worship. 

On March 24th, 1603, Elizabeth, who for forty -five years has been 
Queen of England, draws her last breath, and James of Scotland (who 
was spanked by George Buchanan), through his descent from Margaret, 
who in her bridal journey to Scotland stopped at the old manor-house, 
becomes King of England. He is thirty-six years old. It is to be feared 




JAMES I. 



WILLIAM BREWSTER AND HIS FRIENDS. 357 

that the spanking did him little good, for he is vain, self-willed, hypocrit- 
ical, selfish, and superstitious. He believes that wrinkled old women sell 
themselves to the devil to bewitch the people; and he has been harrying 
witches at a fearful rate — hanging, drowning, and burning them. He is 
not the only one who believes in witches. For that matter, everybody 
believes that they ride about on broomsticks at night, creeping through 
key -holes, and entering houses to torment the people. Everybody be- 
lieves that witches should be put to death. It is the spirit of the age. 

There are several hundred ministers in England who desire purer ways 
in the Church, and they present a petition to James, asking that there may 
be a new order of things. He grants them an audience at Hampton Court 
— it is not a hearing, for when they begin to present their plea, he inter- 
rupts them : 

" I will have one doctrine, one discipline, one religion. I alone will 
decide. I will make you conform, or I will harry you out of the land, 
or else do worse — hang you." The bishops are delighted. 

The king is greatly pleased with himself. " I peppered them sound- 
ly," he says, in glee, to the bishops. He issues a proclamation requiring 
everybody to conform to the Church of which he is the head. What shall 
the men and women who meet in the old manor-house at Scrooby do? 
They value life ; but principle is worth more than property or life. Thej'^ 
love their country ; but liberty is worth more than country. They will 
sell their lands, bid good-bye to old England, and find a refuge in Hol- 
land, where, since the Spaniards have been driven out, men may think 
for themselves. Not as individuals, but as a church — a body of Chris- 
tian believers— will they go. 

Why not go to the New World, beyond the Atlantic ? There is much 
talk about Virginia just now — its delightful climate, its fertile soil, its 
fruits and flowers, and inexhaustible riches. The merchants of London 
are fitting out a colony to settle there ; but the power of the bishops will 
be felt there. Nor will the king let them go. " No Englislnnan shall 
transport himself to Virginia without a license ;" that is the king's proc- 
lamation. He will not even permit them to find a home amidst the 
wolves, and bears, and Indians. Nor will he let them go to Holland. He 
has the power to banish them ; but he will not let them go of their own 
accord into exile. 

William Brewster and his friends resolve to leave the country secret- 
ly. It is fifty miles to the sea- coast; but they will make their way to 
the old town of Boston, and take a vessel to Amsterdam. Brewster has 
been there, and so makes all arrangements. A ship-master promises to 



358 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY, 



take them. They sell their lands, pack their goods, and make their way 
over the meadows and marshes to Boston. The land is so level that long 
before they reach the town they can see the tall towers of St. Botolph's 
Church rising above the horizon. They pass through the narrow streets, 
and go on board the ship, congratulating themselves that soon they will 
be beyond the jurisdiction of the bishops. But they are doomed to dis- 
appointment. The captain of the vessel is a knave ; he has informed the 




HOLLAND FARM-HOUSK. 



constable, who comes with a lot of policemen, and marches them to the 
office of the magistrate, who thrusts them into prison, where they are kept 
many weeks, till he can hear fi'om London ; but after much suffering they 
are allowed to go at large. 

Six months pass. Brewster resolves to make another attempt to reach 
Holland, and this time makes a bargain witli a Dutch skipper to take him- 
self and friends on boai-d at a lonely place on the coast. One by one the 
people leave their homes. The women and children go in a boat. The 
winds are high, and they ai-e tossed about by tlie waves, suffering from 
sea-sickness. The men, carrying heavj^ packs, make their way through the 
marshes. They reach the appointed place, but no ship is in sight The 



WILLIAM BREWSTER AND HIS FRIENDS. 359 

boat runs into a creek for shelter, for those on board are in a misera- 
ble plight — sick, weary, disappointed, disheartened, with no home behind 
them, none before them, so far as they can see. All day, all night, they 
lie there. The morning dawns, and their hearts are joyful, for there is 
the ship riding at anchor off the shore a little distance. 

The women and children have spent the night on the land. The ship's 
small boats come in and carry their goods on board. Some of the men 
are on the ship, some on the land, when a troop of men come rushing over 
the sand-hills, armed with spears and guns. The bishops' officers are upon 
them. Those on shore are seized — the women rudely assaulted. The 
Dutchman, seeing the commotion, and afraid that his ship will be seized 
and himself thrown into prison, hoists the anchor, spreads the sails, and 
steers away. It is a sad hour. Husbands and wives are separated, fam- 
ilies broken up. There is loud lamentation, for who knows whether they 
€ver will meet again. William Bradford is on board the ship. He is 
only nineteen years old; he gives this account of the scene: "Pitiful it 
was to see the heavy care of these poor women — what weeping and cry- 
ing on every side; some for their husbands carried away in the ship, 
others not knowing what should become of them and their little ones ; 
others melted in tears, seeing their poor little ones hanging about them, 
crying for fear and quaking with cold." 

The ship, instead of reaching Holland in a few hours, is caught in a 
tempest, and driven nearly to Norway. For seven days and nights those 
on board see neither sun, moon, nor stars. Many times they fear that 
their last hour has come ; but after being tossed about for fourteen days, 
they are safely landed at Amsterdam. 

What shall the officers do with the women and children ? To im- 
prison them because they were going with their husbands and fathers can- 
not be thought of ; the people will not permit it. No use to send them 
back to Scrooby and Austerfield, for they have no homes ; they can only 
set them at liberty. King James will gain nothing by keeping them in 
England ; and so, after many delays, they are permitted to make their 
way to Holland, to join their husbands and fathers. 



360 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE STAR OF EMPIRE. 

A CENTURY nearly has passed since Christopher Columbus under- 
took to reach the east by sailing west. During this period, the 
Spaniards have seized the West India Islands, conquered Mexico and 
Peru. They have a settlement in Florida, at St. Augustine. Every ship 
sailing to Spain from the new Western world carries silver and gold ; and 
the country of Ferdinand and Isabella is reaping a rich harvest. Trade 
and commerce feel the quickening influence of the precions metals. 

Through all these years neither the French or English have made a 
permanent settlement in North America. Some Huguenots who settled 
at Port Royal, in South Carolina, have been massacred by the Spaniards ; 
and from St. Augustine northward there is no human habitation, save the 
wigwams of the Indians. It is the year 1583, when Sir Humphrey Gil- 
bert, of England, with authority from Queen Elizabeth, sets sail, with two 
ships and three barks, on a voyage of discovery. He drops anchor on the 
3d of August, in the harbor of St. Johns, Newfoundland, and is surprised 
to find thirty-six French vessels at anchor there. The crews are catching- 
fish, and drying them on the rocks. Sir Humphrey informs the fishermen 
that he takes possession of the island for Queen Elizabeth, and that they 
must obey the laws of England ; and if an}^ one says anything against 
Elizabeth, he shall have his ears cropped, and lose all his goods : more, 
they must all worship in the way prescribed by the Church of England. 
Sir Humphrey grants the fishermen leave to dry their fish — a privilege 
which they always have exercised; but now they must pay for the privi- 
lege. Having established English authority. Sir Humphrey sets sail for 
England ; but never again is he to see his native land : his ship goes down 
in a storm with all on board ; but the vessel commanded by his half- 
brother. Sir Walter Raleigh, arrives safely in port. 

The disaster does not deter Sir Walter from making another voyage. 
A few months later he is abroad once more, sailing south-west till he 
reaches the coast of North Carolina, where he drops anchor, and makes 



THE STAR OF EMPIRE. 



361 



the acquaintance of the Indians, who are kind and hospitable. He makes 
a present of a tin pan to a chief, who bores a hole in the rim, attaches 
a string, and wears it on his breast as an ornament and shield, and in 
return gives Sir Walter twenty skins of wild animals, worth a crown 
apiece; so that the Englishman gives away the tin pan at good profit. 
The climate is delightful, the air fragrant with flowers ; and Sir Walter, 
^vho has a great admiration for Queen Elizabeth— so great that he once 
placed his scarlet- velvet cloak upon the mud for her to walk on when 
landing at the Tower— names the country Virginia, in her honor. 

Sir Walter returns to England, carrying with him some of the tobacco 
of Virginia. Smoking is unknown in England ; and one day when Sir 
Walter is puffing his Indian pipe, a 
servant coming in, thinking he is on 
fire, dashes a pailful of water upon 
him, wetting him from head to foot. 

The next year Sir Walter sails 
once more, with one hundred and fifty 
men, and makes a settlement at Roan- 
oke, leaving John White to govern the 
<jolony. Mrs. Dare, wife of one of 
the colonists, gives birth to a daugh- 
ter, whom she names Virginia — tlie 
first child of English parents born in 
America. 

Sir Walter returns to England, but 
sails again to Virginia the succeeding 
year, to find the houses deserted and weeds growing around them. The 
colonists have disappeared, no one knows whither. Never are they heard 

from. 

On December 19th, 1606, three small vessels glide down the river 
Thames, spreading their sails for a voyage across the Atlantic. The 
largest is of one hundred tons, the next largest forty, and the smallest 
twenty tons. There are one hundred and five persons on board the ves- 
sels. They are leaving England to found a state in a wilderness thou- 
sands of miles away. They will find no homes awaiting them, no fields 
cleared, but a land inhabited by savages. Of the party, four are carpen- 
ters, twelve laborers, forty-eight gentlemen, who look upon labor as a de- 
grading occupation. They have an indefinite idea of what is before them, 
and vague conceptions of what they will do in the land whither they are 
going ; but somehow they all expect ^to make their fortunes, or else meet 




SIR WAI.TEll ENJOYING HIS PIPE. 

(Prom an Old Print.) 



362 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

with exciting adventures, which will pay for all the hardship they may be 
called upon to endure. 

Captain Newport, who commands the expedition, has been in the New 
World. He carried two crocodiles and a wild-boar to England, and pre- 
sented them to the king, and the king has lent his influence to help on 
their enterprise ; merchants have aided it. One of the poets of England 
has addressed an ode to the gentlemen : 

" You brave, heroic minds, 
Worthy your country's name, 
What honor still pursue ; 
While loitering hinds 
Lurk here at home with shame. 
Go and subdue. 

"And in the regions far 
Such heroes bring ye forth 
As those from whom we came, 
And plant our name 
Under the star 
Not known unto the North." 

One of the gentlemen is Captain John Smith, who is only thirty years , 
of age, but who has had an adventurous life. He was born only a short 
distance from where Doctor Wicklif lived, in 1579. When he was a 
school -boy, he had such a longing to be a sailor that he sold his books 
and satchel to get money enough to go to sea; but just then his father 
died, and left him a good deal of money, and he concluded to remain 
in England and be a merchant. He was a headstrong boy, and so wild 
and reckless that his friends were glad when he entered the service of 
Lord Willoughby, who sent him to France with his son Peregrin. He 
did not get on very well with his patron, who soon dismissed him, giv- 
ing him money enough to get back to England ; but John, instead of 
going home, enlisted with the Dutch to fight the Spaniards, and aided 
the "beggars" in their efforts to drive Philip out of the country. When 
at last he set sail for England, he was shipwrecked. Instead of going 
home to his friends, he went to Scotland, made the acquaintance of Mr. 
David Hume, who introduced him to King James — who was spanked by 
George Buchanan. The king had nothing for him to do, and he made 
his way back to England, went into the woods and built a hut, and be- 
gan to stndy military science, resolving to be a general. His friends 
came to see him in his forest home ; but he could not stay there. He 
must be doing something. So he sails for Germany, to enlist in the 



THE STAR OF EMPIRE. 



363 



service of the emperor, who is fighting the Turks. He is robbed of all 
his money, and suffers for want of food ; and one day he lies down, not 
caring what becomes of him; but a kind-hearted man gives him food, 



■^~> ~, 




JOHN SMITH RESOLVES TO BE A GENERAL. 

and supplies him with money. This is in France. He discoveni the 
rascal who robbed him. 

" You are the villain who stole my purse." 

Both draw their swords. Click ! click ! click ! they go, till John has 
the thief at his mercy. 



364 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

" Pay me my money, yon scamp." 

" I have spent it." 

The fellow begs for pardon, and John, as kind as he is brave, allows 
him to go. 

At Marseilles he takes a ship for Italy, which is crowded with pilgrims 
on their way to Rome. A storm comes on. The pilgrims count their 
beads, and say their prayers, while John calmly looks out upon the waves 
which every minute threaten them with destruction. 

" He is a lieretic — a wicked fellow." So the pilgrims whisper to each 
other. 

"He is a Jonah." 

" Let us throw liim overboai'd." 

They gather around him in anger, and seize him. He makes a brave 
fight, but it is one against one hundred. Overboard they throw him into 
the yeasty waves. But he is a good swimmer, and the ship is not far from 
the shore. The waves toss him to and fro ; they roll over him, all but 
strangle him ; but, weak and exhausted, he reaches the shore. The next 
day a ship comes along, the captain takes him aboard, and in a few days 
he finds himself at Alexandria, in Egypt. A Venetian vessel sails into 
port, and a battle ensues between the two ships, in which John makes a 
brave fight for his friends, who capture their enemy's vessels, and find it 
laden with silks, spices, diamonds, and jewelry. John's share of the plun- 
der amounts to eleven hundred dollars in money, besides a box of jewels 
worth a much larger sum. 

From Egypt he makes his way into Hungary, joins the Austrian army, 
and is made a captain of cavalry. His troop is known as the "Fiery 
Legion." The Austrian general, Count Meldritch, is besieging the fortress 
of Regal. One of the Turkish generals, Turbashaw, sends a challenge into 
the Austrian camp: "I challenge any captain of the besieging army to 
combat." 

Many brave men are ready to accept it, but the lot falls on the young 
captain of the Fiery Legion. The fight is to be in the presence of all 
the high-born ladies. The combatants meet in the open field, the Turk 
in a suit of mail wrought with gold, the boy-captain in plain armor. The 
Turk has eagle's wings attached to his shoulder. Three janizaries at- 
tend him : one to carry his lance, the others to walk by his side, and do his 
bidding. 

The ladies on the castle walls wave their mantles as the Turk rides 
proudly forward to meet his antagonist, and poises his lance and rides at 
him full tilt; but the next moment the Turk is rolling upon the ground, 



THE STAR OF EMPIRE. 



365 



with his opponent's lance piercing his brain. A loud wail goes up from 
the multitude gathered on the castle walls, while shouts of victory rend 
the air from the Austrian hosts. 

Another Turkish general will avenge the death of his friend. That 




JOHN SMITH S FIGHT WITH THE TDRK. 



young Englishman's head shall roll in the dust. He sends a challenge. 
They meet ; each shivers his lance ; they fire their pistols, but miss ; then 
whip out their swords. A stroke brings the Turk to the ground ; another 
severs his head from his body; and then Captain John challenges any 



S66 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




;-,f^ 



v3/ 

THRKL TURKS HL\DS. 



officer in the Turkish army to fight him. General Mulgro accepts the 
challenge. The Turk comes out with a sword, battle-axe, and pistols. 

He swings his axe, to annihilate 
the captain at a stroke ; but in an 
instant John runs him through 
with his sword, and finishes him. 
The whole army escorts him into 
camp, amidst shouts of joy, the 
three Turks' heads being borne 
by three horses. Count Meldritch 
makes him a present of a splendid 
horse, a belt adorned with jew- 
els, and a costly cimeter, and pro- 
motes him to be a major, and the 
emperor makes him a nobleman. 
His coat of arms is three Turks' 
heads, and the motto " Vincere est 
mvereP 

A few days later there is a battle, and the captain of the Fiery Legion 
goes down amidst a heap of dead, with his blood oozing from a ghastly 
wound. The Austrians are driven, and he falls into the hands of the 
Turks, who, thinkhig that he is a rich nobleman, kindly care for him, ex- 
pecting that his friends will pay a large sum for his ransom. The pasha 
sends his prisoner to Constantinople, as a present to his sister. The girl 
sees how fair he is, and falls in love with him. To save him from being 
sold, she sends him to another brother, a pasha who lives in the Crimea, 
on the shores of the Black Sea, asking him to take good care of the fair- 
faced young man ; but the brother shaves the captain's head, dresses him 
in sheepskinkr, rivets an iron collar on his neck, and sets him to threshing 
wheat. 

One day the pasha rides out to see how his captive is getting on. 
He gives the captain a cut with his whip, but in an instant the flail in 
Smitli's hands comes round with a whack upon the Turk's head. An- 
other blow, and he is finished. Smith strips off the clothes of the 
pasha, secretes the body in a stack of wheat, fills a bag with grain, lays 
aside his sheepskin clothes, puts on the pasha's, mounts the horse, and 
flies like the wind across the fields and pasture - lands, reaching the wil- 
derness. The iron collar is still upon his neck, but he mufiies it and 
rides on, day after day, night after night, reaching, after fourteen days 
ride, the Russian frontier. The military ofiicers are amazed at his story, 



THE STAR OF EMPIRE. 



367 



but help him on, and in a few weeks he surprises Count Meldritch by 
appearing once more in camp. 

When the war is over, he travels through Germany and France to the 
Mediterranean, embarking on a French ship for Morocco ; but, meeting 




SMITH S ESCAPE FROM SLAVERY. 



I 



a Spanish ship, a battle ensues. The young captain fights like a tiger, and 
the Spaniards are conquered. Instead of going on to Morocco, the ship 
puts back to port, and, tired of adventure, Smith makes his way to Eng- 
land ; but he cannot rest, and now is on his way to the New World. 



368 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

King James has granted the colonists the exclusive right to occupy a 
strip of country two hundred and forty miles wide, extending from the 
southern boundary of the present State of Maryland to Cape Fear. The 
Government is to be a council and a governor appointed by the king. 
There can be no religion in the colony except that of the Church of Eng- 
land. There is not a single element of popular liberty in the charter. 
The colonists have no votes — no voice in anything. Besides being sub- 
ject in all things, in civil and religious matters, to the king, they are, at 
the same time, under a company of merchants who have contributed to 
the outfit. Liberty is not a part of the cargo. 

The winds are contrai-y, and the ships steer southward to the Canary 
Islands, then w^est to the West Indies, then north-west to the coast of 
Virginia. On April 26th, 1607, the vessels enter Chesapeake Bay, and 
drop anchor under the shelter of a point of land where the water is so 
smooth, the shores so peaceful and pleasant, that the colonists call it Point 
Comfort ; and Captain Newport names the locality Cape Charles, and the 
headland on the opposite side of tlie l)ay Cape Henry, for the king's two 
sons. 

The Indians who inhabit the country gaze upon the vessels with won- 
der. Captain Newport quiets their fears, and makes tliem presents, Avhere- 
upon they invite him to visit their village, where they give him a feast 
of such luscious oysters as never were seen in England. Captain Smith 
is sent by Captain Newport to open friendly intercourse with the great 
chief of the Indians. The man who has had so many adventures in the 
East finds the chief w^earing a ci'own of deer horns, colored red, with twa 
eagles' feathers in his hair, and a piece of copper dangling on one side of 
his head. His body is painted crimson, his face blue. The chief receives 
him courteously, smoking a pipe, and then handing it to Captain Smith. 

The ships sail up a noble river, which Captain Newport names James, 
in honor of the king. He comes to a beautiful island, where he selects a 
place for a town, erects houses and a fort, and names it Jamestown — the 
first permanent English settlement in the new home of liberty. The col- 
onists go on shore, the stores are discharged, and the vessels sail away, 
leaving the four carpenters, twelve laborers, and forty-eight gentlemen to 
lay the foundations of a new order of things in the Western world. The 
gentlemen are unaccustomed to hardship ; they are unused to labor ; nor 
have they come to w^ork. Labor is degrading. They are soldiers — ad- 
venturers. The summer sun blazes in the heavens like a fiery furnace, 
and they wilt beneath its fervent heat. Their provisions are damaged i*^ 
the water is unwholesome. Fever sets in, and in a few days nearly every 



THE STAR OF EMPIRE. 



369 




MEETING THE INDIANS. 



man, excepting the laborers, is down with fever. The gentlemen lose 
heart. Death makes its appearance ; four die in a single night. 

The governor, Edward Wingfield, is a merchant — avaricious, selfish, 
grasping. He has come to the New World to amass wealth. He reserves 

24 



370 THE STORY OF LIBERrY. 

all the choice things for himself — the best tidbits and liquors. Captain 
John Smith, Captain John Ratcliffe, and Captain John Martin — three 
•Captain Johns — are members of the council appointed bj the king, and 
are so incensed at Wingfield's course that they resolve to depose him. 

" You refused me a bit of chicken when I was sick, nor would you let 
me have a drop of beer; and you gave me mouldy corn," is Ratcliffe's 
accusation. 

" You accused me of being lazy," says Martin. 

" You called me a liar," shouts Smith. 

They seize the governor, carry him on board a small vessel, and keep 
him as a prisoner. Ratcliffe acts as governor. 

The provisions are nearly exhausted, and Captain Smith, with six men, 
goes in a boat to purchase corn from the Indians ; but the red men, know- 
ing the wants of the whites, ask a round price, and will only sell a bas- 
ketful. The man who cut off the heads of the three Turks is not to be 
trifled with. He orders the soldiers to fire a volley, to intimidate the sav- 
ages. The guns flash, and the Indians flee in terror. The captain fol- 
lows them, and finds a great store of corn ; but the Indians, seeing that 
no harm has come to them, rally, and let fly their arrows. The soldiers 
fire once more, this time taking aim, and three of the Indians are killed 
or wounded, while the rest flee in terror, astounded at the effect of the 
guns. Captain Smith seizes their medicine, or idol, knowing that they 
will be greatly troubled at its loss. The medicine-man comes to beg him 
to give it up. 

" Fill the boat with corn, and I will restore it." 

The Indian is glad to comply, and his followers bring not only corn, 
but turkeys, ducks, and venison. 

Smith ascends the Chickahominy as far as he can go with a large 
boat, and then, with two soldiers, in a canoe, goes on many, miles. The 
soldiers left with the boat quarrel with the Indians ; one is killed, the 
remainder flee, leaving Smith and his companions to whatever fate may 
await them. His two companions are killed, and he is taken prisoner. 
His captors lead him to their chief. He is promised his liberty if he 
will join in exterminating the colony. He feigns friendship, but informs 
them that the colonists have terrible weapons, and will destroy them all. 
" Send and see if it is not so." He writes a note to the colonists to fire 
their cannon. 

The Indians arrive at Jamestown with the letter, and are amazed to 
see that everything happens just as Smith said it would. Their captive 
must be a supernatural being, for he can make paper talk. They bring 



THE STAR OF EMPIRE. 



371 



back some gunpowder, which they intend to sow in the spring, and so 
raise their own powder. 

Captain Smith is taken before the great chief, Powhatan, who wears a 
dress made of i-accoon skins, with a crown of red feathers. He sits upon 




THE FIRST FIGHT. 



a platform, with his two daughters by liis side — the oldest fifteen, the 
youngest thirteen years of age. They bring a bowl of water, that he 
may wash his face, and a bunch of feathers for a towel. Then he has 
his trial, and is condemned to die. An Indian rolls a stone into the wig- 
wam, and the captain's head is laid upon it. Two warriors raise their 



372 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



:^4i^i^^^S?: 




POCAHONTAS SHIELDS HIM FROM THEIR CLUBS. 



clubs to beat out his brains. His time has come ; yet he does not trem- 
ble. The Indians shall see that the white man can die without a sign 
of fear. 

The youngest girl by the side of the great chief gazes upon the scene. 



I 



THE STAR OF EMPIRE. 373 

Her heart is in commotion. A bound, and she is bending over him, shield- 
ing iiim from the clubs ready to descend upon his skull. 

" Do not kill him ! do not kill him !" 

The chief loves his daughter, and for her sake spares the captain's 
life, and sends twelve warriors to conduct him in safety to Jamestown. 
Captain Smith sends back a handsome present to the chief and his daugh- 
ter. He finds the colony divided. There are forty persons in all, but 
half of them have seized the vessel in the James, and are abandoning 
tlie place, intending to sail to England. 

Captain Smith loads a cannon, and aims it at the vessel. " Return, or 
I will sink you." 

The conspirators, awed by the command, return to the shore ; and at 
the last moment the colony is saved from dissolution. Pocahontas is their 
friend. She comes often to the town, bringing provisions. The Indians 
w^ho come with her respect the man who had no fear of death, and who 
can make paper talk. 

" In a short time a great boat filled with white people will come from 
the sea," he says to them, and a few weeks later Captain Newport sails up 
the James, with one hundred and twenty emigrants. Now the brave man 
is a prophet; he can tell what is going to happen, and they stand in fear 
of him. The new-comers are nearly all "gentlemen," who despise labor, 
but they have come expecting to find gold as plentiful as in Peru, and 
are a burden rather than a help. 

Captain Smith starts on a grand exploring expedition — up the Poto- 
mac, up Chesapeake Bay to the Susquehanna, and up that stream till he 
comes to a tribe of Indians who use copper hatchets, which they obtain 
from the far-distant north. Upon his return, he makes a treaty with the 
Pappahannocks, the chief giving up his arrows in token of friendship, 
and Captain Smith hanging strings of beads around the necks of three of 
the women of the tribe. After this there is a great feast and much dan- 
cing. From the Rappahannock River Captain Smith sails for Craney 
Island, near Norfolk, where the Indians attack him ; but he fires a volley 
at them, burns their wigwams, and so humiliates them that they bring 
four hundred baskets full of corn to purchase peace. 

At sunset, September 7th, 1608, the party reach Jamestown, after an 
absence of three months and a journey of nearly three thousand miles. 

Another ship arrives with emigrants, among whom are two women — 
the first in the colony. Two years have passed since the colonists landed 
at Jamestown ; but as yet little has been done toward making a permanent 
settlement. The gentlemen are idlers, but Captain Smith compels them 



374 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 







SUBMISSION OF THE RAPPAHANNOCKS. 



to work. Some of them are terribly profane, and he makes a law that 
for every oath they utter they shall have a canful of cold water poured 
down their backs. He discovers that the chief Powhatan, though pro- 
fessing friendship, is conspiring against the colony, and resolves to seize 
him; but two worthless fellows flee to Powhatan with information of his 
intentions. And now Pocahontas comes with the counter- information 
that her father intends to kill all the English. Captain Smith holds a 
parley with the chief of the Pamunkeys, who profess to be friendly. 
While he is talking with the chief in his wigwam, a soldier rushes in. 



THE STAR OF EMPIRE. 



375 



"'We are surrounded by a great crowd of savages," he says, pale with 
fear, 

" Never mind. Look to your guns," is the quiet reply of the dauntless 
man ; then seizing the chief by the hair with his left hand, presents a 
pistol to his head, accuses him of treachery, threatens to blow out his 






-1-^/. 



in 







CAPTAIN SMITH SUBDUING TIIK CHIEF. 



576 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



brains if he does not kneel and ask forgiveness. The cliief kneels, prom- 
ises submission, and also agrees to fill the captain's boats with corn. 

" If you do not, I will fill them with the dead bodies of your warriors." 
The Indians bring corn and provisions in abundance, standing in fear 
of such a man. 

King James appoints Lord De la Ware (Delaware) governor, who sails 
from England with nine ships and five hundred emigrants. Two of the 
ships are wrecked in the West Indies, where De la Ware himself remains 




KUINS AT JAMESTOWN. 



to refit them. The others reach Jamestown. The emigrants are a worth- 
less set — spendthrifts for the most part, scapegraces, sons of nobles and 
lords, so wild and reckless that their fathers are glad of an opportunity 
of sending them out of the country. 

Captain Smith has been in Virginia three years. Had it not been for 
him, the colony would have perished. He is terribly burned by an explo- 
sion of gunpowder, and resolves to return to England. He bids farewell 
to the colonists, some of whom are glad to be rid of a man who has com- 
pelled them to labor, while others cannot keep back the tears when they 
remember how his wisdom, endurance, and bravery more than once have 



THE STAR OF EMPIRE. 377 

saved them from destruction. He returns to England, draws a map of 
his explorations, which he presents to King James, who holds him in high 
esteem. 

The colony numbers five hundred when he sets sail, but there is no 
controlling mind, no government. The new state founded on American 
soil in a few days is in anarchy. The idlers eat the provisions of the col- 
ony, but do no work. Winter comes, and provisions fail. Fever sets in. 
Starvation is before them. The Indians see how weak they are, and those 
who go to the wigwams of the savages for food are cruelly murdered. 
Spring opens, and of the five hundred only sixty remain ; the four hun- 
dred and more have perished. The survivors, disheartened, abandon the 
colony, embark on their vessel, and reach Chesapeake Bay. On the mor- 
row they will bid farewell to the shores where disaster and failure have 
been their portion. What do they see ? Two ships. Lord De la Ware 
has obtained new vessels in the West Indies, and here he is with provi- 
sions. Sad the morning, joyful the night. With fresh courage they go 
back to Jamestown, take possession of their old homes, to begin once more 
the work of laying the foundations of an empire in the Western world. 



378 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE "HALF-MOON." 



THE storks are building their nests on the chimney -tops in Amster- 
dam. The spring has come in its beauty. William Brewster and 
his fellow-pilgrims, in this year of 1609, are hard at work ; but quite likely 
they have time to stop for a few moments, on this 25th day of March, to 




OFF CAPE NORTH. 



THE "HALF-MOON." 



379 



take a look at a vessel, the Half-moon^ which is just starting for a long 
voyage, in search of a new route to China. Hendrick Hudson, an Eng- 
lishman, Captain John Smith's friend, is skipper. He stands upon the 




THE "half-moon" IN CHESAPEAKE BAT. 

deck issuing his orders. He has already been two voyages to the North, 
sailing amidst the icebergs ; and now he is going to try to reach China 
by the way of Nova Zembla. The East India Company and the Amster- 
dam burghers have fitted out the ship. The sailors bid good-bye to their 
friends, and the Half-moon slowly moves away. The winds are fair, and 
in less than a month Captain Hudson is at Cape North ; but there he en- 
counters terrible storms. The air is thick with mist. There are dense 
fogs, and ice-fields block his way. He is not a man, however, to turn back 
at once to Amsterdam ; but turns westward, loses his foremast in a fear- 
ful storm, but reaches the Banks of Newfoundland, where the crew catch 
a great supply of fish, and on July 17th drops anchor in Penobscot Bay. 
There are tall pines on the shore, and the sailors soon have a new mast in 
its place. They trafiic with the Indians, and then Captain Hudson sails 
south, coasts along Cape Cod, and on August 18th drops anchor in Ches- 
apeake Bay. From there he turns north, and discovers Delaware Bay. 
Still farther north, coasting along a sandy shore, he discovers a long, low 
point of land curved like a hook, and names it Sandy Hook. A little 
farther, and he drops anchor at the mouth of " the great North River of 
New Netherlands"— the Hudson. The Indians put out in their canoes 



380 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




from the shores, come on 
board the ship, bringing to- 
bacco, corn, and bear-skins,, 
which they gladly exchange 
for knives and trinkets. 
The next day Captain Hud- 
son sends a party of sailors, 
on shore, where they find a 
great company of Indians, 
who give them tobacco and 
di-ied currants. The next 
day Captain Hudson sails 
through the " Narrows,"' and finds himself in a beautiful and spacious har- 
bor. He sends a boat to the shore ; but suddenly the Indians let their 
arrows fly, and John Coleman, one of the sailors, is killed. His comrades 
bury the body on a point of land, which they call Coleman's Point. 

On the 12th of September, the Half-moon begins her voyage up the 



THE "HALF-MOON." 381 

great river. The Indians, astonished at the sight, come around the ship 
in great numbers, bringing corn and tobacco, and making signs for knives 
and beads. Two days later the ship is amidst the Highlands, and the 
sailors look out upon the lofty mountains that remind them of the Rhine. 

On September 18th, Captain Hudson goes ashore, near the present vil- 
lage of Castleton, to visit the great chief of the region, who has seventeen 
wives, and who has corn and beans enough to load three ships like the 
Half-moon. The chief gives him a dinner of baked dog, and a dish of 
pigeons, which the squaws place before them in wooden bowls painted 
red. The chief would like to have him sta}' on shore overnight ; and 
when he discovers that the captain is about to return to the ship, he orders 
his warriors to break their arrows and throw them into the fire, to let him 
k:uow that no harm shall come to him. For supper they have pumpkins, 
grapes, and plums. 

The Half-moon makes her way nearly to Albany, where, finding that 
the ship can go no farther. Captain Hudson sends a part}' in boats, to ex- 
plore the river. He makes a feast to the Indian chiefs on board the ship, 
giving them brandj-. One drinks so much that he becomes intoxicated, 
and rolls upon the deck ; the others, not knowing what to make of it, leap 
into their canoes and hasten ashore ; but return, bringing presents, and are 
much pleased to find the chief has come to life again, and who is anxious 
to stay Math the white men, who have such strong water. 

Little does Captain Hudson think that at that moment Samuel Cham- 
plain is only a few miles distant, exploring the shores of the lake which 
bears his name, and that, after a century has rolled awa}', the great battle 
for supremacy between France and England — between the old religion 
and the new — will be fiercely waged along its peaceful shores. 

Retracing his course, Captain Hudson, October 1st, drops anchor in 
Haverstraw Bay, M'here an Indian, running his canoe under the stern of 
the vessel, climbs into the cabin window, and steals Captain Hudson's 
clothes ; but the mate, seeing him, seizes a musket and shoots him. The 
Indians on the ship, amazed at the lightning, the smoke, and the roar of 
the gun, leap like frogs into the water, and swim for their boats. 

Captain Hudson sends a boat filled with sailors to recover the stolen 
goods. One of the Indians in the water lays hold of the boat to upset it, 
but a sailor chops off his hand, and the Indian sinks to rise no more. The 
next da}^ hundreds of Indians come in their canoes to attack the ship, but 
Captain Hudson brings a cannon to bear upon them. There is a flash, a 
roar, a boat is smashed, and those in it killed or wounded. The others 
flee in consternation before the white man's thunder and lightning. After 



382 THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

a little while two canoes filled with savages put off from the shore and ap- 
proach the ship rapidly ; but there conies a second flash, and a rattle of 
musketry. One of the boats is riddled by the shot, and the poor creatures 
go down one by one, while those in the other canoe pull for the shore. 
They are powerless before the strangers. The Half -moon reaches the 
sea, spreads her sails, and on November. 7th casts anchor in Dartmouth 
harbor, England, from whence Captain Hudson sends an account of his 
voyage to Holland ; but King James will not permit him to sail thither. 
The king is jealous of the Dutch. Henry Hudson is an Englishman, and 
no Englishman shall be permitted to aid them in making new discoveries 
in the Western world. 



STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS. 



383 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS. 

THOSE poor people from Scrooby and Austerfield, when they reached 
Holland, were in a sad condition. Their property was nearly all de- 
stroyed. They fonnd themselves in a strange land. They could not speak 
a word of the language of Holland. They found the country intersected 
by canals, and that the people carried their cabbages and cheeses to market 




A HIGHWAY IN HOLLAND. 



by water. The canals were the highways. Women, and children, and 
dogs tugged at the boats. A boy or girl and a dog made a little team, a 
woman and a donkey a big team. 

The fugitives find friends in Amsterdam — people from London who 



384 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



have sought refuge there. Some of them have queer ideas in regard to 
dress, and say that no person should wear a collar or a ruff, or any orna- 
ment upon the person, and are greatly troubled because Mrs. Johnson, their 
minister's wife, wears whalebone in her stays, and high-heeled cork-soled 
shoes. The fugitives from Scrooby and Austerfield are not in a condition 
to indulge in any superfluity of dress, for they are very poor. They re- 
main at Amsterdam a short time, and then remove to Leyden — the town 
that made such a brave resistance to the Spaniards. 

William Brewster, who used to entertain them in the old manor-house, 
is so poor that he has to teach school for a living, and M'liile teaching he 

learns to set t^'pe, and establishes a 
printing-office. William Bradford 
becomes a weaver, and makes fustian 
cloth. One man learns to lay brick ; 
another is a carpenter, another a 
blacksmith. In England they were 
all farmers, and it is hard work for 
them, while learning their trades, to 
keep the wolf from the door. 

On Sunday, instead of carousing 
in the beer-houses and going out to 
have a dance in the fields, they meet 
at the house which they have pur- 
chased for their pastor, John Robin- 
son, which stands just across the street 
from St. Peter's Church, which has 
been standing there for five hundred 
years, and from the top of which the 
people looked with longing eyes to see 
if the sea were coming in to drown 
out the Spaniards when the Silent 
Man cut the dikes. They sing and 
pray, and listen to the reading of the Bible ; and after John Robinson 
has finished his sermon, they eat dinner together. They call themselves 
Strangers and Pilgrims in the land, hoping that ere long times will change 
in England, and that then they can go back. They live in peace and 
quietness with their Dutch neighbors, who, though they think the English 
are odd in dress, and rather peculiar in regard to keeping Sunday, yet 
like them because they are honest and truthful, and are very particulpi 
about paying their debts. 




ST PETLR S CHURCH 



STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS. 385 

As the years go by, the Pilgrims are troubled about their children. 
There are no English scliools, and they are too poor to educate them. 
Tliey are disturbed at the thouglit of their becoming like the Dutch. 
They love the dear old land that gave them birth, even though they are 
exiles. AVhat shall they do ? The men who have made such sacrifices 
for liberty talk over the great question, and, after much deliberation, re* 
solve to find a home beyond the sea, where they can train their children 
to love and reverence those truths and principles which are dearer than 
life. Perhaps, now that they are out of England, James will permit them 
to go. John Carver and Robert Cushnian visit London, where they con- 
fer with the merchants who have aided in settling the colony at James- 
town. The merchants obtain pei'inission ; but the king stipulates that 
they must conform to all the articles of the Church creed. That they 
will not do. Having left all in England for the sake of their principles, 
will the}' now surrender them ? Not they. 

Two years pass, and the exiles go on working at their trades. They 
have, by their industry, driven the wolf from their doors, and are better- 
ing their condition. They are still thinking of the home in that far-off 
land, when Thomas Weston, a merchant of London, comes to see them. 
A new company of speculatoi-s has been formed in England, called the 
Plymouth Company'. Earls and lords belong to it. and they have induced 
James to give them all the land which Captain John Smith called Xew 
England. They are anxious to send out a colony. William Brewster and 
two others go to London to see what the adventurers, as the speculators 
call themselves, will do. They are influential enough to get the king to 
promise not to molest the Pilgrims. An agreement is made, and a com- 
pany formed. The shares of the company are fixed at fifty dollars. Ev- 
ery settler sixteen years of age shall 1)6 considered as equal to one share ; 
every man who furnishes an outfit worth fifty dollars shall be entitled to 
an additional share ; children between ten and sixteen years of age shall 
be counted as half a share. All the settlers bind themselves to work to- 
gether for seven years, during which time all shall be supported from the 
common fund, and all their labor shall go into it. At the end of the seven 
years, the property shall be divided according to the shares. These are 
hard conditions. For seven years not a penny of their earnings can they 
claim; they must endure all the hardships, encounter at, the dangers, do 
all the work — putting life, labor, health, on an equality with the dollars 
advanced by Weston and his fellow-speculators. Yet for the sake of be- 
ing free, for the sake of bringing up their children in the principles that 
are so dear to them, they accept the conditiouo. The merchants obtain 

Or! 



SS6 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 



two vessels — the 3fayJloioer, of one hundred and eighty tons, and the 
Speedvjell, of sixty. All of the company at Leyden cannot go, but those 
who can make preparations for their departure. Tlie}^ are to sail across 
the Channel to Southampton, where once more they may look npon the 
green fields of their native land. 

On July 21st they meet for the last time at the house of their pastor, 
John Robinson, who will stay with those who remain. They spend the 
morning in fasting and prayer, and the good minister preaches a solemn 




DELFTS HAVEN. 

sermon. After the fasting, they sit down to a frugal feast, and sing once 
more, with the tears streaming down their cheeks, the psalms they used to 
sing in the manor-house at Scrooby, and which are sweeter and dearer 
than ever, now that they are about to take leave of their friends forever. 

The Speedioell lies at Delftshaven, fourteen miles from Leyden. In 
the morning they go on board the canal-boats with their friends, who ac- 
company them to the ship. Some come all the way from Amsterdam tc 
bid them farewell. They spend the night in conversing with their friends, 
who provide a feast for them. The last hour has come, the wind is fair, 
and the captain in haste to be away. The beloved pastor is with them. 



STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS. 



369 



They kneel upon tlie deck, and he offers once more a prayer. With tears 
upon their cheeks, they bid each otlier farewelL The vessel swin<'-s from 
the quay, the wind fills the sails. Bat tiiere is joy in their sorrow ; they 
are departing in obedience to tlieir profoundest convictions of duty. Lit- 
tle know they of what is before tliem, or what they ai-e about to do. God 
knows what will come of it, and in him they trust. They fire a parting 
salute with their muskets and their three pieces of cannon. 

At Southampton they join the 3fayjlorae/\on board of which are tliose 
who have come from England. Some of them are from London, hired 
by the speculators. One is John Bil- 
lington, a graceless fellow, so wild and 
reckless tliat his friends are rejoiced 
to ship him to a distuut land. Thom- 
as Weston is there. He wants tlie 
original plan clianged, so that the con- 
ditions will be better foi" himself, and 
of course harder to the Pilgrims; but 
no change will they make, whereupon 
the grasping man claps his purse in 
his pocket, refusing to discharge an 
obligation of one hundred pounds, 
wliich, according to the agreement, he 
ought to pay. '' I'll let you stand on 
jonr own legs," he says, and returns 
to London. To pay tlieir bills, they sell what they soreh' need, but which 
they can best spare — eiglit}' firkins of butter. They will eat their bread 
without any butter, rather than be beholden to Thomas Weston, or in 
debt to an}' man. 

All is ready. They chose a governor for each ship, and one or two 
to assist him. Let us not forget this : they chose them. They are not 
appointed by James, or anybody else, but are elected by votes. It is the 
beginning of a new order of things. The Governor of Jamestown holds 
his commission from King James ; but John Carver, governor on board 
the Mayflower., is elected by the j^^ojyh. 

The ships leave the port, but are hardly out of the harbor when the 
captain of the Speedwell discovers that the vessel is leaking, and both 
ships put into Dartmouth for rei)airs. Two weeks pass, and they sail once 
more ; but they are hardly on their way M'lien the captain of the S])eed- 
well declares that they must return, or go to the bottom, and the vessels 
put into Plymouth. Some of the Pilgrims are discouraged; but there are 




MAYi'LOWliK. 



390 THE STORY OF LIBEIITY. 

others who have not vet lost heart. There is no time to get another ves- 
sel, nor have they the means to obtain one. Tliose who are still anxious 
to go are crowded into the Mayflower^ with such goods as they can carry. 
They are one hundred and two. 

On the 16th of September, the sails are spread once more, and the 
Mayflower^ with tiie rights of the people and the destiny of a new w^orld 
for a cargo, glides out upon the broad Atlantic. Fierce storms arise, and 
the vessel is tossed like an egg-shell upon the waves. The main beam is 
wrenched from its place, and the ship is in danger of breaking in pieces. 
One of the Pilgrims has a great iron screw, which he brought from Ley- 
den — why, he does not know — but now it is just what they need ; the 
beam is forced back into its place, and the vessel is saved. One passen- 
ger falls overboard, and is lost; but a child is born, and the parents name 
him Oceanus. 

Land ! land ! The joyful cry rings through the ship on November 
19th. There it is — a long reach of sandy shore, with dark forest trees in 
the background. They sail along the coast, steering south, but soon find 
themselves among shoals. They dare not sail in that direction, and so 
bear north-west, running along a strip of land curved as one may curve 
his finger, double a sandy headland, and on November 21st drop anchor 
in the calm waters of the harbor of Cape Cod. 

That wild fellow, John Billington, and the others from London, have 
been obliged to behave themselves on shipboard ; but, now that they are 
about to land, declare that they will do as they please. John Carver will 
have no authority on shore ; they will be in the king's domain, for John 
Carver holds no connnission from the king, nor have the Pilgrims any 
charter. The Pilgrims will see about that. They are men who respect 
law and order, and intend to have order in their community. It is their 
right, not derived from the king, but a natural right. In the cabin of 
the ship tliey sign their names to a solemn covenant. Thus it reads: 

" In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, 
* * * by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God 
and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil 
body politic, for our better ordering and preservation, and furtherance of 
the ends aforesaid, and Ijy virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and form such 
just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time 
to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good 
of the colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience." 

The world never before has seen such a paper. That writing given 
in the green meadows of Runnymede by John Lackland was a compact 



STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS. 393 

between two parties — the king and the barons ; but here is only one party 
— tlie 2>^^I>^^' The paper is a constitution. It is fundamental — a new 
beginning — the founding of a state on a written law, emanating not from 
the king, but from themselves. John Billington's name is not down upon 
the paper ; but tlie majority have signed it, and thenceforth and forever 
the majority shall rule. 

Having established a government with a written constitution, the Pil- 
grims organize an army. It consists of only sixteen men ; but they have 
a brave commander. Miles Standish, who has fought against the Spaniards 
in Holland. He was not a Pilgrim originally — did not come from Scrooby, 
but from the country west of that place. He has a lovely wife. Rose, as 
beautiful in person and character as the name she bears. The army of 
sixteen make a landing, and mai'ch into the forest. They cut down the 
trees, kindle a fire of cedar wood, and wai-m themselves by its cheerful 
blaze, and inhale the fragrant odor of the wood, sweet and refreshing after 
their long coniinement on shipboard. It is Saturday, and when night 
comes all repair to the ship to keep the Sabbath as they ever have kept it. 
On Monday they are early astir. The men carry their pots and kettles on 
shore, the women land, carrying great bundles of dirty clothes. It is their 
washing day. While they rub and scrub the clothes. Captain Standish 
and his soldiers are standing guard in the forest, and the carpenter is re- 
pairing their boat. On Wednesday Captain Standish marches along the 
coast with his army, each soldier carrying his gun, sword, and corselet. 
They come upon a party of Indians, who flee so swiftly that the soldiers 
cannot overtake them. They find fertile places, where the Indians in other 
days have planted corn. They discover an iron kettle, and other indica- 
tions that sailors have been cast away upon the shore. They are fortunate 
in finding a store of corn, and bring away all the}' can carry, resolving, if 
they ever find the owners, to pay them for what they have taken. 

On December 7th, the great boat, large enough to carry twenty-four 
persons, is ready for use. The captain of the Mayjiower is ready with the 
long-boat, and they leave the ship, and row southward inside the cape: 
but the waves are tempestuous ; so they sail into a creek, and Avait for 
calmer weather. The next day they come to the place where Captain 
Standish discovei'ed the corn, and find much more. Captain Jones fills 
his boat, and returns to the ship. They discover two wigwams, but tlie 
Indians have fied. 

On Wednesday, December IGth, eighteen men in the large boat bid 

their friends fai-ewell, and sail along the shore. They are bound for a 

harbor across the bay, twenty-four miles west of where the Mdy flower is 
25* 



394 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 







CAPTAIN STANDISH ATTACKKU BY THE INDIANS. 



lying. Tlie mate of the vessel has been there in a former vo^'age ; but 
the waves are so high they do not dai'e to sail straight across the bay. 
The air is piercing cold. Tlie spray dashes over them, and freezes on 
their clothing. At night they land, kindle a fire, eat their frugal fare, 
post tlieir sentinels, and sleep as best they can. The next day half of the 
party marcli through the woods, and half creep along with the boat, and 
rest at night as before. The wolves howl around tlie men, wlio fire their 
guns to put tlie beasts to flight. They are astir befoi'e daylight, cooking 
their breakfast. Suddenly they hear a strange cry, and arrows fall around 
them. Captain Standish quickly has his army marshalled. Crack go the 
muskets, and one of the Indians is wounded at the first fire; the rest flee, 
carrying away the wounded man. Captain Standish follows them far 
enongli to let them know that they are not afraid, nor in any way dis- 
couraged. The Pilgrims gather the arrows, in order to send them to Eng- 
land, to let tlieir friends see what weapons the savages use. The wind is 
favorable; they hoist their sail, and glide along the shore northward now; 
but suddenly the wind changes to north-east, and the waves come rolling 



STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS. 



395 



jnjipof 

PLYMOUTH 



in. When they are highest their rudder breaks, and two men, with their 
oars, are hardly able to steer the boat. 

" Be of good cheer ; I see the harbor," shouts Robert Copping, mate 
of the Mayflower. 

It is almost night, and they hasten to i-each the harbor before darkness 
comes on. They hoist the sail ; but the mast breaks, and the sail falls into 
the sea, and the boat heels over on one side : they are in danger of cap- 
sizing, but gather the sail on boai'd, and the tide carries them into a cove. 
The breakers are rolling upon the beach. They can see the white foam 
through the darkness toss- 
ed high in the air. 

" The Lord be merci- 
ful ! My eyes never saw 
this place before. We 
must run the boat ashore," 
cries the mate. 

But a sailor sees that 
the boat will be swamp- 
ed. "About with her !" he 
shouts. The rowers bend 
to their oars, and the boat 
heads from the shore. 
They turn a sandy point, 
and find themselves in 
smooth water. Shall they 
go ashore ? They are 
weary, hungry, chilled, 
and wet to the skin. It 
will be twelve hours to 
dawn. Will they not per- 
ish before morning ? They 
will land, trusting, if In- 
dians assail them, to defend themselves. They reach the shore, kindle a 
fire, and dry their clothes, keeping watch the while for Indians. In the 
morning they find that they are on an island, which they name Clark's 
Island, for Edward Clark, one of their number. The sun is shining once 
more ; but they ai-e weak and exhausted. Time is precious ; but they will 
rest there through the day — Saturday — and prepare themselves to keep 
the Sabbath. 

On Monday, rested and refreshed, they sound the harbor, and find it 




396 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




PLYMOUTH HARBOR, DKCEMBER, 1G20. 



safe and good. Thev pull westward to the main -land, where they find 
Indian -corn fields and a river of fresh water. They climb a high hill, 
view the landscape, and are pleased with the prospect. Under the brow 
of the hill, iiear a brook, and near springs of pure water, they will i-ear 
their homes. They return to the ship, and report their discoveries ; and 
the Mayflower spreads her sails once more, and glides across the bay. 

Winter has set in. The winds are chill, snow lies upon the hills. The 
spray freezes upon the shrouds of the vessel. The scene is cheerless — ice- 
bound shores, a dense forest, an unexplored wilderness, before them ; a 
savage foe lurking beneath the pines ; no homes, no welcome hearth-stone ; 
forebodings of sickness and starvation. 

On Sunday Elder Brewster preaches to them on shipboard for the 
last time. On Monday they examine once more the ground where they 
propose to rear their homes ; and on Tuesday, after asking God to diiect 
them in all that they are about to do, they take a vote as to where they 
shall build their houses. It is the first town-meeting ever held in Amer- 
ica, and the majority decide. The new State — the new order of things — 
has begun. That which the human race has struggled for through all the 



STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS. 



397 



ages has coine at last — the riglit of the people to rule. Old George 
Buchanan, Mary of Scotland's tutor, enunciated the right to the world ; 
but that wliich was theory to him has become a fact. Self-government 
has begun. Take note of it, ye lords, nobles, kings, and emperors, for of 
this besinninff there will come a new order of thin2;s in human affairs ! 

The Mayfiomer is riding at anchor. The long-boat, filled with men 
and women, glides over the waves to the shore. They step from the boat 
to a rock. The new State is in possession of its future domain. January 
1st, 1621, is a gloomy day, for death begins his ravages, taking one of the 
citizens, Degorj- Priest. Captain Standish goes out, with four or live sol- 
diers, to make explorations. They find Indian M'igwams, but none of the 
savages. The citizens are hard at work building a common house, in 
which they can store their goods. The boat plies between the ship and 
the shore, bringing boxes, and bales, and furniture — chairs, chests, pots, 
and pans. They build their houses of logs, and cover them with thatch ; 
for they have not yet learned to peel the bark from the trees, or to rive 
the pines into shingles, for roofing. On Sunday, January 14th, they bare- 
ly escape a terrible disaster, for the thatch on the common house takes 
lire, and they have hard work to put it out. 

On the 29th of January, a great grief comes to Captain Standish. Ilis 
beautiful wife, Eose, has been fading day by day. The hardships have 




CHAIK AND CHEST, 



woi-n her down. Possibly she pines for the green fields and the cheer- 
ful homes of Old Euijland, which she never more will see. Heaven is 



398 



THE STORY OF LIBERIY. 



nearer than the old home. With tearful eyes and swelling hearts, the 
living carry her np to the burial-place npon the top of the hill. This is 
the entry in their journal, mournful in its briefness : ''^Jan. 29. Dies Rose, 
wife of Captain Standishy 

Two days later the Pilgrims see two Indians lurking beneath the pines, 




"welcome, englishmen!" 



but they quickly disappear. They see no otlier savages till March 16th, 
when they are greatly surprised to see an Indian march boldly into the 
settlement, and to hear him say, ^^ Welcome^ Englishmen!'''' His name is 
Samoset. He has been down the coast of Maine in other years, and has 
seen the Englishmen which have been in Sir Fernando Gorges' iishing 
establishment. He is kindly treated. He goes away, but soon returns 
with another Indian. Squanto, who was kidnapped years before by a vil- 
lain named Hunt, who landed and seized twenty' Indian^, and carried them 



STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS. 



399 



to Spain. Sqiianto has been in London, and can speak Englisli. Samoset 
brings three more, who have skins for sale. He informs the Pilgrims that 
their great chief, Massasoit, is near by. In a few minutes the chief makes 
his appearance with sixty Indians. This is the account which the Pilgrims 
give of the interview : 

"After an hour the king comes to the top of an hill over against us, 
with a train of sixty men. We send Sqnanto to him, who brings word we 
should send one to parley with him. We send Mr. Edward Winslow to 
know his mind, and signify that our governor desires to see him, and truck 
(trade), and confirm a peace. Upon this the king leaves Mr. Winslow in 
the custody of Quadequina, and comes over the brook with a train of 
twenty men, leaving their bows and arrows behind them. Captain Stan- 
dish and Master Williamson, with six musketeers, meet him at the brook, 
where they salute each other; conduct him to a house, wherein they place 
a green rug and three or four cushions; tlien instantly comes our gov- 
ernor, with drum, trumpet, and musketeers. After salutations, the gov- 
ernor kissing his hand and the king kissing his, they sit down. Tlie 
governor entertains him w'ith some refreshments, and then they agree on 
a league of friendship. 







MASSASOIT S VISIT TO THE PILGRIMS. 



400 



THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 




THK PALACE OF KING MASSASOIT. 



"After this tlie governor conducts liim to tlie brook, wliere tliej em- 
brace and part, we keeping six or seven hostages for oni- messenger. But 
Qnadeqnina coining M'ith his troop, we entertain and convey him back, re- 
ceive onr messenger, and return the hostages." 

Massasoit's palace is not so gorgeous as that at Hampton, in Avliich 
King James lives: it is a hut in the woods; but the Pilgrims soon discover 
that the chief is a better friend than the King of England. He is a true 
man, and the treat}' which he makes with them is faithfully kept. James 
has persecuted them, but Massasoit befriends them. Archbishop Whit- 
gift has driven them from their homes, l)ut Massasoit bids them welcome. 
Their Christian brothers of England are their bitterest foes ; the heathen 
savages of the wilderness their best friends. 

But a foe whom they caimot fight is upon them. Spring comes. The 
trailing arbutus fills the air with its fi'agrance; the birds returuing from 



I 



I 



STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS.. 403 

the distant. South are singing in the forest ; the sun sends down its cheer- 
ful beams upon tlie h'ttle settlement; but flowers, bird-songs, and the gen- 
ial warmth of spring can never fill the void of aching hearts. Forty-six 
of the one hundred and one Pilgrims have finished their pilgrimage, and 
are at rest in the burial-ground on the top of the hill. They level the 
earth, that the Indians may not know how many liave died. But the 
living have brave hearts. They go on with their work. On Sunday, Wil- 
liam Brewster preaches in the common house, where their goods are piled. 
No bishop has licensed him to preach ; he has nftsumed the right to use 
such gifts as he may be endowed with, and his heai-ers respect him as their 
religious teacher. He has no other authority over them. The membei^s 
of the Church decide all questions that arise. William Brewster is their 
bishop, yet his vote counts but one. Theirs is a democratic State, and a 
democratic Church. Men are ecpials. Never before has the world seen 
such a community. 

There comes a sad day. Through the winter the Mayflower has been 
swinging at her anchor in the harbor, but now she is about to depart for 
England. The last words are spoken, the sails are spread, and the ship 
sails away. The}^ who stand upon the shore see it fade in the dirn dis- 
tance. The last tie that bound them to their old home is severed. While 
the vessel remained, they had the means of returning; but now their des- 
tiny is fixed. Well for the world that it is so. Such heroic souls as they 
are not afraid of destiny, no matter M'hat it may be — prosperity or priva- 
tion, success or failure, life oi- death. They may die, but Truth and Lib- 
erty are eternal ; for these they will live, or, if God so will it, die.- 

Death takes them one by one. On the very day that the Mayfloioer 
sails, their beloved governor, Carver, is seized with sudden sickness, which 
ends in death. It is a sore stroke, for he was wise and prudent in council, 
brave of heait, and a righteous man. 

Though the governor is dead, the State lives. "T'Ae jpeojyle are the 
only legitimate source of j^oweri'^ George Buchanan wrote it. The 
people elected John Carver, and the same people — those that are left — 
elect his successor, William Bradford — he who was baptized in the little 
old stone church in Austerficld. So the new State perpetuates its life. 
The State cannot die. A nev/ truth dawns upon the world. As long as 
there is an individual, there will be a State. 

At last, after ages of persecution and suffering. Liberty has found her 
home. The seed-corn of a great empire lias been planted — an empire in 
which the lowest shall be equal with the highest; where he alone shall be 
kinir who does kino-lv deeds. 



404 . THE STORY OF LIBERTY. 

Tlie contest is not yet ended between royal authority and the rights 
of men, between priestly prerogative and the consciences of individuals. 
King James will still persecute them ; King George will attempt to exer- 
cise arbitrary authority ; there will be persecutions, imprisonments, and 
banishments for conscience' sake : men cannot at once be emancipated 
from the ideas of the ages. The intolerance and bigotry of the Old World, 
like noxious weeds, will take root in the New, and manj^ years must go by 
before men can be wholly free. 

The little company' — there are only fifty of them now — have no code 
of laws. In tlie Old World, kings barons, nobles, archbishops, and bishops 
have niade the laws; but these untitled, unlettered men assemble in town 
meeting and make their laws — each man voting. ISTo edict from King 
James could add to the validity of their statutes; no arclibishop or noble 
could frame laws more wise and just: no high constable of the kingdom 
could make them more effective, as John Billington finds out. He speaks 
words disrespectful of the new governor, and the citizens condemn him 
to be tied neck and heels, and fed on bread and water till he begs pardon. 

The new State^ composed of fifty individuals, elects its governor, frames 
its laws, and enforces them. Can a king do more? So the subject be- 
comes king, ruling himself in his own God -given right. From the be- 
ginning of time kings have assumed the right to rule; but in the wil- 
derness of the Western world the exiles from Scrool^y and Austerfield 
take the sceptre into their own hands, and inaugurate a new era in hu- 
man affairs. 

Liberty is in lier new home. Strong hands will subdue the wilderness, 
and brave hearts will establish an empire extending from tlie frozen i-e- 
gions of the North to the sunny climes of the South, from the stormy 
Atlantic to the peaceful Pacific. Thi-ough hardship, suffering, and sacri- 
fice the great republic of the Western w^orld shall rise to become a peer 
among the nations. Its starry flag shall be the emblem of the world's 
best hope; for to it the oppressed of all the earth shall turn with longing 
eyes, and beneath it there shall be peace and plenty, and the recognition 
of tlie rights of men. 



INDEX. 



Alfonzo, Diike of Naples, marriage to Lucretia 

Borgia, and assassination, 109. 
Aliiamhra, surrender to Ferdinand and Isabella, 
92. 
Coluinbus's interview with Ferdinand and 
Isabella, 106. 
Alva, Unke of, accompanies Philip II. to Eng- 
land, 266. 
Commands Spanish army in Holland, 330. 
Receives a present from the Pope, 340. 
Ambassador, of the Pope, at Worms, requests 
Charles V. to disregard his safe-conducD to 
Martin Luther, 233. 
America, settlement of, 360. 
Amerigo Vespucci, 128. 
Amsterdam, sends provisions to Leyden, 331. 
Arrival of the Pilgrims in, 359. 
Hendrick Hudson sails from, 379. 
People friendly to the Pilgrims, 383. 
Anjoii, Duke of, conspirator at 8t. Bartholomew, 

321. 
Anne Askew, trial and death, 261, 262. 

Army of God, 17, 21, 27. 
Anne of Bohemia, queen of Richard II., and 
friend of Wicklif, 38. 
Protects him, 41. 
Anne of Bretagne, queen of Louis XII., 166. 
Antoinette of Bourbon at Field of Cloth of Gold, 

220. 
Antwerp : Tyndal and Coverdale find refuge 

there, while translating the Bible, 271. 
Arch of Titus, 181. 
Archbishop of Bohemia burns Professor Faul- 

fash's books, oT. 
Archbishop of Canterbury, excommunicated by 
the Pope, 25. 
St. Dunstan appointed, 34. 
Mtudered by insurgents, 48. 
Decides against marriage of Henry VIII. and 

Katlierine of Aragon, 152. 
Performs the marriage ceremony', 156. 



Archbishop of Canterbury, introduces Wolsey to 
Henry VII., 211. 
Thomas Cranmer appointed by Henry VIII., 

217. 
He will not be bound by anything contrary 

to his own judgment, 247. 
Performs ceremony at coronation of Anne 

Boleyn, 249. 
Pronounces the marriage of Henry and Kath- 

erine of Aragon illegal, 258. 
At Westminster Hall, 268. 
Cranmer signs paper recanting his faith, 279. 
His remorse and heroic death, 279. 
Whitgift will not tolerate Non- conformists, 

352. 
Sends John Penry and Henry Barrow to the 
gallows, 355. 
Archbishop of Florence at trial of John Huss, 

62. 
Archbishop of Paris buys a Bible of John Faust, 
75, 76. 
He accuses Faust of being in league wiiii the 

devil, 77. 
Heads the procession to meet the Duke of 
Guise on his return from the massacre of 
Huguenots at Vassy, 302. 
Archbishop of Treves questionsLuther at Worms, 

234. 
Archbishop of Valencia, Ctesar Borgia, causes 
the assassination of Ids brother Frederick, 
165. 
Drinks the poisoned wine prepared for the 
cardinals, 171. 
Archbishops, number of, at the Diet of Worms, 

234. 
Archbishop of York at coronation of Anne 
Boleyn, 249. 
Owns a manor-house at Scrooby, 155. 
Arthur put to death by John, 19. 
Arthur, son of Henry VII., married to Kathe- 

rine of Aragon, and death, 152. 
Arundel, Earl of, 249. 
Austerfield, Wolsey attends church at, 252. 



406 



INDEX. 



Aiisterfield people think for themselves, 3ol. 
Become Non - conformists ; listen to Richard 
Clifton and John Robinson ; resolve to flee 
to Holland secretly, 357. 
Are thrust into Boston jail. 358. 
Their last attempt, and arrival at Amsterdam, 
359. 
Auto-da-fe, 89. 
Avisa, queen of John, 20. 

B. 

Balboa, Vasca, carried on shijiboard in a cask, 
129. 
Adventures, 131, 132. 133, 134, 135. 
Discovers the Facitic Ocean, I3G, 
Execution, 139. 
Ballads, lampooning monks, priests, and bishop.-;, 

256. 
Barcelona, 116. 

Barons, resist John and organize tiie Army of 
God, 17, 21. 
Compel the King to grant the jNIagna Ciiarta, 

22. 
Give their answer to Pope Innocent III., 24, 
Orter the crown to Louis of France, 25. 
Barrow, Henry, arrested for Non - conformity, 

imprisoned six years, and executed, 355. 
Bayfield, Thomas, burned to death for having a 

New Testament, 253. 
Beaton, Cardinal, imprisons George Buciianan, 

312. 
Becket, Thomas, Henry II. humbled at his 

shrine, 51. 
Bedford, Earl of, at burning of Anne Askew, 

262. 
" Beggars of the sea," 332. 
Bergavenny, Lord, 145. 
Beza, Theodore, 302. 
Bible, translated by Wicklif, 43. 

Translated by Tyndal and Coverdale, 271. 
Forbidden to the people, 277. 
Translated into French by James Lefevre, 283. 
Martin Luther's translation — number of copies 
sold, 239. 
Billington, John, 389, 390, 393. 
Bingcn, 71. 

Bishops of England declare that the appointment 
of officers of theChurcli belongs to them, 50. 
Are excon^municated by the Pope; persuade 
Parliament to pass a law for forfeiture of 
the lands of those who recognize the Pope 
as superior to the King, 50. 
Their action the beginning of liberty, 29. 
Compel Richaid II. to revoke concessions to 
the people, 49. 
Bishops' Court, 141. 



Bishops of Riga and Silvias at Council of Con« 

stance, 61, 67. 
Bishop of London and Winchester at Anne Bo- 

leyn's coronation, 250. 
Bobadilla, 119. 
Bocaido prison, 281. 
Bohemia, war biought about by burning of John 

Huss,140. 
Boleyn, Anne, goes to France with Mary, sistei 
of Henry VIIL, 157. 
At Field of Cloth of Gold, 220. 
Goes to London, 226. 
At Court of Henry VIII., 241. 
AtWolsey's banquet, 241. 
Coronation, 249. 
Beheaded, 257. 
Bonner, Edmund, chaplain to Wolsey, 213. 
Sent by Henry VIII. to the Pope, 246. 
Plunders abbeys and burns heretics, 261. 
Repulsed in his efforts against Katherine Parr, 

262. 
Judge for trial of heretics, 271. 
Bordeaux, massacre of Huguenots at, 325. 
Borgia, Cajsar, appointed Archbishop of Valen- 
cia ; causes assassination of his brother 
Frederick, 165. 
Demands the daughter of the King of Naples 

in marriage, 166. 
Conspiracy with the Pope for assassination of 

Italian princes, 169. 
Drinks the poisoned wine prepared for the 
cardinals ; nai'rowly escapes death, 171. 
Borgia, Frederick, eldest son of Pope Alexander 
VI., assassinated by conspiracy organized 
by his brother Ccesar, 165. 
Borgia, Lucretia, daughter of Pope Alexander 
VI., marries Lord Sforza, 165. 
Divorced by the Pope, 169. 
Marries Alfonzo of Naples, 169. 
Issues orders to the Holy Office in the name 

of the Pope, 169. 
Marries the Duke of Ferrara, 169. 
Borgia, Roderick, early years; elected Pope, 159. 
Imprisons obnoxious cardinals, 162. 
Exalts bis children, 165. 
Proposition to Louis XII., 166. 
Death from drinking poisoned wine, 171. 
Boston, Scrooby Congregation imprisoned at, 358. 
Bothwell, Earl, receives Dunbar Castle from 
Mary of Scotland, 313. 
Plans the minder of Darnley, 314. 
Married to Mary, 314. 
Driven from the country, 314. 
Boy Cardinal, John de' Medici, 18G. 
Prisoner to Gaston de Foix, 190. 
Elected Pope Leo X., 193. 



INDEX. 



407 



Bradford, Willi;un, his baptism at Aiisterfiold 
Church, 35G. 
His account of sufferings of the Pilgrims, 3,")9. 
Brandon, Charles, 157, 220, 2G4. 
Brentwood, 277, 

Prewster, William, Secretary to Sir William Da- 
vison, 337. 
Postmaster at Scrooby ; resides in manor- 
house, 351. 
Believes that men have the right to think for 
themselves, 351. ! 

Invites those who would lead pure lives, and ] 
who believe that any body of Chiistians j 
may be a church, to worship in the niamr- 
house, 351. 
Entertains the congregation, 356. 
Agent for removal of the Pilgrims to HoUaiid, 

358. 
Agent for tlieir removal to America, 385. 
Appointed elder, or minister, 396, 403. 
British Museum, 29. 
Brown, Robert, one of the first Non- conformist 

preachers, 351. 
Brussels, scene at abdication of Charles V., 291. 
Buchanan, George, writes nuptial ode at mar- 
riage of Mary of Scotland to Francis XL, 
287. 
Mary's tutor, 312. 
W^rites De Jure Regni, 311. 
Punishes the King of Scotland, 340. 
Buckingham, Duke of, his quarrel with Wolseyj 

imprisonment and death, 243. 
Bull, John, writes ballads, 45. 
Bargoyne, Lord, 250. 



Cabot, John, sails from Bristol ; discovers New- 
foundland and Labrador, 123, 125. 
Cabot, Sebastian, explores the coast of North 

America, 123, 124, 127, 128. 
(^adiz, Christopher Columbus carried in chains 

to, 120. 
Cajeton, Cardinal, 209. 
Calvin, John, gives opinion on divorce of Henry 

VIII., 246. 
Campagna, 179. 
Campeggio, Cardinal, 244. 
Canary islands, 100. 

Canterbury, Archbishop of. (fieQ Archbishops.) 
Canterbury Cathedral, 25. 
Carver, John, 385, 389. 
Catherine de Foix, 104, 
Catherine de' Medici, birth of, 220. 

Queen of France, 316. 

Children, 316. 

Plans destruction of Huguenots, 316. 



Catherine de' Medici, sends perfumed gloves to 
Jeanne d'Albret, 317. 
Urges Charles IX. to massacre the Huguenots, 

320. 
Sends the head of Coligny to the Pope, 324. 
Conversation with Henry III., and death, 347 
Cato, 181. 
Cavilli, account of massacre of St. Bartholomew 

326. 
Caxton, William, sets up printing-press, 78. 
Cecil, Sir Thomas, Elizabetirs prime -minister^ 
ajjpoints William Brewster secretary to Sii 
William Davison, 337. 
Changes, 242, 243. 

Charles V., King of Spain, Emperor of Germany^ 
210. 
Visit to Henry VIII., 213. 
Sails to Holland, 215. 
Second meeting with Henry, 221. 
Wars with Francis, 243. 
Protests against divoice of Henry VIIi. ana 

Katherine, 244. 
Persuades the Pope to summon Henry VIII. 

to Rome, 247. 
Brings about the marriage of Philip and Mary 

Tudor, 265. 
Issues edicts against heretics, 295, 
Abdication, 296. 
Life in retirement, 297. 
Chailes IX., his weakness, 316. 

Compels Marguerite to marry Henry of Na- 
varre, 316. 
Scene at the wedding, 318. 
Will not have Coligny harmed, 320. 
Gives orders for the massacre of the Hugne- 

nots, 323. 
Threatens to strangle Henry Condd, 325. 
Last hours, 327. 
Charlotte d'Albret, 166. 
Charron, conspirator, at massacre of St. Bartholo. 

mew, 320. 
Chaucer, Geoffrey, visits Genoa and Florence, 
44. 
Dedicates a poem ro Anne of Bohemia, 44. 
Writes "Canterbury Tales." 51. 
Monks and fiiars plan to kill him ; death. 53. 
Clark, Edward, 395. 

Claude, ofPrance, at Field of Cloth of Gold, 219. 
Clement, Jacques, assassinates Henry III., 348. 
Cleves, Anne of, marriage with Henry VIII., 257. 
Clifton, Richard, early Puritan preacher, 351. 
Coligny, commander of French army, 294. 
Attends wedding of Henry of Navarre and 

Marguerite, 31 7. 
Wounded by an assassin, 318. 
Killed in massacre of St. Bartholomew, 323. 



408 



INDEX. 



Coligny's head sent to the Pope, 324. 

Coleman, John, 380. 

Coliseum, 185. 

Columbus, Christopher. (See Chap. VI.) 

Compact of the Pilgrims, 390. 

Congregation of Scrooby in HoUand, S83. 

Conde', Prince of, 302. 

Killed at battle of Jarnac, 304. 
Conde', Henry, 324, 325. 
Cons;;ance, Council of, 59, 60, 61. 
Copping, Robert, 395. 
Copping, John, executed for Non - comfoimity, 

352. 
Cornwallis, Widow, makes a pudding for Henry 

VIir.,2Gl. 
Corpus Christi in Rome, 188. 
Coster, Laurence, discovers a way to print. 70. 
Coverdale, aids Tyudale in translation of the Bi- 
ble, 271. 
Cotta, Ursula, 174. 

Cranmer, Tltomas, his remark about the divorce 
of Henry VIII. and Katherine, 245. 

Arclibishop, oaths, 247. 

Declares marriage of Henry and Katherine il- 
legal, 258. 

Recantation and execution, 279. 

Bill for his burning, 280. 
Cromwell, Thomas, 213. 
Crown of Germany, 210. 
Crusaders, 19. 
Cuba discovered, 114. 
Cushman, Robert, 385. 

D. 

Daniley, Lord, marries Mary of Scotland, 312. 
His iife and death, 313, 314. 

Davison, Sir William, writes warrant for execu- 
tion of Mary of Scotland, 343. 
Sent by Elizabeth to aid people of Holland. 337 

Dean of Pamtsburg, leads a scandalous hfe, 
256. 
Dean of St. Paul's, 142. 

Degory, Priest, 397. 

De la Ware, governor of Viiginia, 376. 
Arrival at Jamestown. 377. 

Delftshaven, Pilgrims, embarkation from, 385. 

Doctors of Oxford, Paris, Toulon, Anglers, and 
Orleans on divorce of Henry VIII. and 
Katherine, 246. 

Douay, Jesuits go to England from, 341. 

Douglas, Lord and Lady, Mary of Scotland 
placed in their custody, 314. 

Druids, 180. 

Dudley, Edmund, lawyer to Henry VIT..lt4. 

Duke Eric, of Biunswick, sends ilartin Luther 
a tankard of beer, 237. 



Duke of Bavaria at Council of Constance, 67. 
Duke of Guise, part played in massacre of St, 
Bartholomew, 321. 
At assassination of Coligny, 323. 
Plot to get rid of Henry III., 344. 
Enters Paris in opposition to the order of the 
King ; assassination, 345. 
Dumbarton ; battle between nobles of Scotland, 
repiesenting the Pailiament, and those ad- 
hering to Mary, 315. 
Durer, Albert, painter, friend of Martin Luther, 
240. 

E. 

Edict of Mary, 2G8. 

Edicts, Charles V., against heretics, 295, 296. 
Edric, fislieiman, story of, 145. 
Edward of England, son of Henry VIIL and 
Jane Seymour, birth, 257. 
Age at Henry "s death, 2G2. 
Death, 2G4. 
Egmont, Count, sent to England by Ch.nrles V. 
to propose mariiage between Philip and 
Mary Tudor, 2G5. 
Elizabeth of England, birth. 251. 

Proclaimed Queen ; joy of the people, 298. 
The journey from Hatfield to London ; lier 

coronation; presented with a Bible, 299. 
Received an offer of marriage fiom Philip ; 
receives a like offer from the King of Swe- 
den ; her favorites , selects Sir William Ce- 
cil as prime - minister ; imprisons Mary 
Grey for marrying contrary to her wishes, 
300. 
Hesitation to sign warrant for Mary of Scot- 
land's execution, 342, 
Her death, 35(). 
Empson, Richard, lawyer to Henry VII., 144. 
Encisco, Martin, and Balboa, 129. 
Enlightenment of Germany, 209. 
Erasmus, Doctor, visits Walsingham Abbey, 
142. 
Writes a book, 143. 
Talks with Frederick of Saxony, 229. 
Thomas Bilney reads his Latin trauilation of 
the New Testament. 254. 
Essex, Earl of, at Anne Boleyn's coronation, 
250. 

F. 

Faber. Peter, member of Society of -Jesus, 222„ 
Faulfash, Professor, comes from Bohemia with 
Anne; listens toWicklif, 38. 

Preaches Wicklif's doctrine in Bohemia, 55. 

What he believed, 5G. 

Denounced by the priests, 56. 



INDEX. 



409 



Faiilf.ish converts John Huss, 56. 

His books burned, 57. 
Faust, John, supplies Guttenberg wiih money, 
72. 

Sells Bibles in Paris, 73. 

Accused of being in league with the devil, 77. 
Ferdinand of'Aragon, his journey toValladolid,80. 

Marriage with Isabella, 80. 

Joins with Isabella in establishing the laqai- 
sition, 85. 

His efforts to root out heresy, 90. 

Drives the Moors from Spain, 90. 

Issues a proclamation ordering the Jews to 
become Christians or leave the country, 93. 

Becomes rich through the spoliations of the 
Jews, 9-4. 

Breaks his word to the Moors, and expels them 
from Spain, 95. 

Plans to seize the kingdom of Navarre, 104^. 

Summons a council of doctors to decide upon 
the project of Christoplier Columbus, 104. 

Declines to aid Columbus, 100. 

Cons^ents at last, 107. 

Confers honors upon him, 113. 

Appoints Columbi.s Governor of the Now 
World, II 9. 

Strikes off Columbus's chains, 120. 
Ferdinand, ArchdiU^e, brother of Charlas V. , at 

the Diet of Worms, 234. 
Fernando de Talavera, confessor to Isabelh-., 90. 
Field of Cloth of Gold, 215,210. 
Fish-dressing and fishermen, 1 29. 
Fisher, Bisho]), will not take the oath of alle- 
giance to Elizabeth, 259. 
Fitzwalter, General, commands the Army of 

God, 1 7. 
Fotlieringay Castle, scene of Mary's execution, 

313. 
Francis I. of France desires to be elected Em- 
peror of Germany, 210. 

Semis ambassadors, and makes presents to the 
Electors, 210. 

Pope Leo X. decides against him, 210. 

Determines to be revenged, 210. 

Seeks friendship of Henry VIII., 210. 

Builds a gorgeous pavilion at the Field of Cloth 
of Gold, 210, 

Personal appearance, 218. 

Noblemen in his train, 220. 

Sends an army to drive Charles V. out of Na- 
varre, 222. 

Marches his army across the Alps to attack 
Milan, 220. 

Carries on a war for twelve years ; is defeated 
at Pavia ; taken prisoner ; humiliated by 
Charles v.. 243. 



Francis II. of France, marriage with Mary of 
Scotland, 287. 

Becomes King upon death of his father, Hen- 
ry II., who was killed in a totn-nament with 
the Duke of Montgomery of Scotland, 288. 

Is a spendthrift, 288. 

Hangs those whom he owes, 201, 

I'ersecutes the Huguenots, 291. 

His sudden death, 292. 
Frederick of Saxony, talks with Erasmus, 229. 

The thought that came to him, and its curi- 
nection with the progress of liberty, 239, 

G. 

Gainsborough, Richard Clifton preaches at, 351. 

Galileo, no. 

"Game of Chess," first book printed in England, 

78. 
Gardiner, Stephen, Secretary to Cardinal Wol- 
sey, 245. 
Dines with Thomas Cranmer, 245. 
Sent by Henry Vlll. with Craimier and Bon- 
ner to argue his divorce from Katherine be- 
fore the Pope, 240. 
Tears down abbeys and burns heretics, 261. 
Lays a plot against Katherine Parr; is re- 
pulsed by Henry VIII., 262. 
Sees that it will not do for Mary to cut oif 

Elizabeth's head, 200. 
Lord High Chancellor, 209, 
Presents tiie petition of. the Pope's legatee, 

269. 
Establishes a court for the tiial of heretics, 

270. 
Imprisons Bishop Hooper, 271. 
Condemns Bishop Hooper and Johi. Rogers to 

be burned, 271. 
His persecution of heretics adds to their num- 
bei-, 275, 
Garter, Knights of the, 208, 
Gaston de Foix defeats Pope Julius II. at Ra- 
venna, and takes the Boy Cardinal, after- 
ward Leo X., prisoner, 190. 
Geoffrey, son of .Joim of England, 19. 
Gilbert, Sir Humphrey, sails on a voyage of dis- 
covery ; takes possession of Newfoundland; 
establishes English authority; his ship foun- 
ders at sea, 300. 
Goodwin, Bishop, judge of the conn for the 

trial of heretics, 271, 
Gorges, Fernando, makes a settlement in Maine, 

398. 
Granada, City of, 92. 
Gray, Thomas, "Elegy," 27. 
Greenwood. John, imprisoned for Nonconform. 
ity, 352. 



410 



INDEX, 



Grey, Jane, daughter of Mary, sister of Henry 
VIII., and Charles Brandon, proclaimed 
Queen, 261. 
Put to death by Mary Tudor, 265. 
Grey, Mary, and her husband put in prison by 

Elizabeth, 300. 
Guilford, Sir Henry, 218. 
Guise, Francis, Duke, at Field of Cloth of Gold, 

220. 
Guise, Francis, Duke (2), son of Francis, takes 

Calais from Mary, 220, 298. 
Guise, Henry, Duke, prime-minister of France, 
302. 
Massacres Huguenots at Vassy, 302. 
Plans massacre of St. Bartholomew, 316. 
Assembles Catholic cliiefs in Paris, 317. 
Holds conference in the Louvre, 319. 
Fears the Huguenots will escape, 321. 
Takes part in Coligny's assassination, 323. 
Receives a message from the Pope to kill all 

heretics, 3-10. 
Sends agents to stir up a rebellion in England 

against Elizabeth, 310. 
Lays a plot to get rid of Henry III., 341. 
Enters Paris against the command of the 

King, 344. 
Welcomed by the populace, 345. 
Assassinated by order of the King, 346. 
Guttcnburg,.!., ap])reiitJce to Laurence Coster, 71. 
Makes metal types, 72. 
Aided by John Faust, 72. 
Prints his first book, 73. 

H. 

Hadleigh Church. 275. 
Hans Holbein, 205, 206. 
Hans Sachs, 206. 
Hastings, battle of, 23. 
Hatfield, 299. 
Hayti discovered, 115. 

Henry VII. consults the Archbishop of Canterbu- 
ry about Henry VIII. 's marriage to Katlie- 
rine of Aragon, his son Arthur's widow, 152. 

liaises an objection to the marriage, 155. 

Makes Thomas Wolsey a dean, 211. 

Extorts money from his subjects, 144, 145. 

Establishes the Star-chamber, 144. 

His lawyers, 144. 

Builds a chapel in Westminster. 151. 

Marries his daughter IMargaret to James of 
Scotland, 155. 

Death, 156. 
Henry VIII., betrothed to Katherine of Aragon, 
his sister-in-law, 152. 

His objections to the match, 153. 

Coronation, 156. 



Henry VIII., his marriage, 157. 

Compels his sister Mary to marry Louis XII., 

157. 
Sees Anne Boleyn, 157. 
Meets Charles V. at Dover, goes with him to 

Canterbury, 210. 
Selects Wolsey as his prime-minister, 211. 
Holds a tournament at Field of Cloth of Gold,. 

216. 
Meets Anne Boleyn once more, 220. 
Has a second interview with Charles V., 221. 
Eeceives Anne Boleyn at court, 226. 
Writes a book against Martin Luther, 227. 
Kisses Anne Boleyn at Wolsey's banquet, 241. 
Receives tide of Defender of the Faith, 242. 
Executes Duke of Buckingham, 243. 
Plans to obtain a divorce from Katherine of 

Aragon, 244, 245. 
Obtains opinions of learned doctors, 246. 
Sends ambassadors to the Pope, 246. 
Summoned to give an account of himself tc 

the Pope, 247. 
Informs the Pope that he is a sovereign prince, 

247. 
Appoints Cranmer Archbishop of Canterburvi 

247. 
Secures a divorce from the Bishops" Ccnrt, 248. 
Married to Anne Boleyn, 248. 
Provides a grand pageant in honor of Anne, 

248, 249. 
Deposes Cardinal Wolsey, 251. 
Appoints Sir Thomas More Lord Chancellor, 

353. 
Marriages, divorces, and executions of his 

wives, 257. 
Sends Sir Thomas More to the block, 259. 
Tears down the monasteries and abbeys, 261. 
Persecutes Catholics and Non- conformists 

alike, 261. 
Repulses Stephen Gardiner, 262. 
Orders the Bible to be placed in tlie churches, 

262. 
Makes his will ; death, 263. 
Henry of Navarre, birth of his grandson, 28fa. 
Gives the babe wine and garlic, 287. 
Henrv 11. of France, Francis I., and Henry 

VIII. at Field of Cloth of Gold; talk of 

his betrothal to Mary Tudor, 220. 
Married to Catherine de' Medici, 220. 
Killed in a tournament with the Duke of 

Montgomery, 288. 
Henry III. of France, weakness of his characrer, 

dissolute life ; orders the Duke of Guise not 

to enter Paris, 344. 
Assassination of, 348. 
Henry IV. of France, birth of, 286, 287. 



INDEX. 



411 



Henry IV. 's answer to the King of France, 288. 

Attends scliool in Paris, 803. 

Escapes with his moiiier, 303. 

In the battle ofJaniac, 304. 

3Iade King after the assassination of Henry 
III., 348. 

At the battle of Ivry, 349. 

Becomes a Catholic, 350. 
llispaniola discovered, 115. 
Hochstetter, James, calls fur the burning of Mar- 
tin Luther, 205. 
Holland, iieretics put to death in, 329. 
Holy Office of the Inquisition, rules of, 83, 89. 

Instruments of torture, 83, SI, 85. 
Hooper, Bishop of Gloucester, executed as a her- 
etic, 271, 272, 273, 274. 
Howard, Earl, Admiral of the English Navy, 343. 
Howard, Katherine, marriage to Henry VIII. ; 

execution, 257. 
Hubert de Burgh, Prince Arthur's jailer, 20. 
Hudson, Hendrick, voyage to America, 379, 380, 

381, 382. 
Huguenots, origin of the name, 285. 

Roasted to death, 292. 

iMassacred at, Vassy, 302. 

Massacred at Nimes, 303. 

Massacred at St. Bartholomew, 383, 384, 385. 
Hunter, William, put to death for reading the 

Bible, 277, 278, 279. 
Huss, John. (See Chap. HI.) 

I. 

Ignorance of the people, 35. 
Indians enslaved by Spaniards, 129. 
Indulgences, sale of, 142, 197. 

People will not buy, 20G. 
Inquisiiion in Spain, 83, 85, 8G, 87, 88, 89. 

In Holland, 295-329. 
Insurgents under Wat Tyler, 4G. 
Isabella of Castile, 81. 

Married to Ferdinand of Aragon, 82. 

Takes possession of Seiior Pecho's estate, 87. 

Manages the Pope's legate, 87. 

Present at the auto-da-fe, 89. 

Takes possession of property of heretics, 90. 

Drives Jews from Spain, 95. 
Isabella, wife of Count La Marche, 20. 



James of Scotland, son of Mary, birth of, 312. 
Coronation, 315. 
Becomes King of England, 356. 
His belief in witches, 357. 
Answer to the Puritan ministers, 357. 
Issues a proclamation requiring conformity, 
357. 



James of Scotland will allow no one to leave 

England without a license, 357. 
Jamestown colonists, 368. 

Jeanne d'Albret, daughter of Henry of Navarre, 
marries Anthony of Bourbon ; mother of 
Henry IV. of France, 286. 
Visits Paris to attend wedding of Francis II., 

287! 
Followed by the spies of Catherine de' Medici, 

303. 
Escapes with Henry, 304, 
Jesuits, Ignatius Loyola founder of the society 
of, 223. 
Rules of the order, 224. 
Their self-denial and missionary spirit, 225. 
They stir up sedition in England, 340. 
Condemned and executed, 341. 
In league with the Duke of Guise to get rid 
of Henry III., 344. 
Jews robbed by John, 20. 

Supply Ferdinand with money to carry on war, 

92. 
Driven from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella, 
93, 94. 
John, King of England, seizes the throne, 19. 
Puts Arthur to death, 20. 
Marries Avisa, 20. 
Deserts Avisa and marries Isabella, wife of 

Count La Marche, 20. 
Robs his subjects, 20. 
Is resisted by the people of Wales, 21. 
Barons rise against him, 22. 
Meets the Army of God at Runnymede, and 

signs the Magna Charta, 22. 
His rage, 22. 

Sends a copy of tlie Magna Charta to Pope In- 
nocent III., 24. 
Contest with the Barons, and death, 25. 
John of Gaunt, friend of Wicklif and Cliaucer, 

40. 
.lohnson, Mrs., wears high-heeled shoes, 384. 
Jones, Captain, 393. 
Julius Caesar, 180. 

K. 

Katherine of Aragon, 107. 

Married to Arthur, son of Henry VII., 152. 

Betrothal to Henry VIII., 152. 

Marriage, 156. 

Visits Field of Cloth of Gold, 21."., 219. 

Deserted by Henry VIII.. 241. 

I'rotests against divorcement, 245. 

Retires from London, and writes to Charles 
v., 247. 

Appeals to the Pope, 248. 
Kingston, Sir Anthony, 273. 



412 



INDEX. 



Knights of the Bath, 2.'')0. 
Kiiollys, Sir Francis, 338. 
Kopeinik, Nikohuis, 109. 

L. 

La Marche, Count of, 20. 
Land of the Angles, 180. 
Laiidinus, Bishop, preaches against Jolin IIuss, 

61. 
Land-scheiding, 330. 
Latimer, Bishop, burned at Oxford, 279. 

Bill for his burning, 280. 
Leipsic, 197, 201. 

Le\ den besieged by Spaniards, 329, 330, 335, 330. 
Lisbon, 99. 
Lisle, Viscount, 250. 
Loch Leven, 314. 
Lollards, 50, 53. 

Prison, 140. 
Lorraine, Duke of (see Guise), 220. 
Lorraine, Cardinal, builds a gibbet at Fontaine- 
bleau, 291. 

Issues order for the extermination of heretics, 
303. 

Intrigue with nobles of Scotland, 340. 
Louis XI [., 166^200. 
Loyola, Ignatius, 222, 223. 
Luis St. Angel, 107. 
Lyons, massacre of Huguenots, 325. 

M. 

Macaulay, Thomas Babington, ballad of " The 

Battle of Ivrv,"349. 
Magna Charta, 22, 23, 27, 29, 31, 48. 
IMaine settled by Fernando Gorges, 398. 
Marco Polo, 101. 

Margaret, daughter of Henry VII., 155, 15G. 
Marguerite of France, 31 G, 317, 318. 
Maria of Portugal, 2G7. 
Marshalsea prison, 281. 
Martin, John, 370. 
Martin Luther, birth, early years, 1 72. 

Sings Christmas carols, 173. 

Cared for by Ursula Cotta, 174, 175. 

Discovers a Bilile, 176. 

Doctor of Philosophy, 176. 

Becomes a monk, 177. 

Visit to Home. (See Chap. XI.) 

Opposes Tetzel, 202. 

Nails a paper on the door of Wittenberg 
church, 203. 

Appears before Cajeton, 209. 

Burns the Pope's bidl, 228. 

Appeals to the Council of the Empire, 229. 

At the Diet of Worms, 230, 231, 233, 234, 235. 

Imprisoned in Wartburg Castle, 236, 237, 238. 



Martin Luther translates the Bible, 239. 
Mary Tudor, talk of her betrothal to Henry II. 
of France, 220. 

Coronation, 2Gt. 

Accepts offer of marriage from Pliiiip II. of 
Spain, 265. 

Sends Jane Grey to the block ; hangs neai ly 
two liundred men, 265, 266. 

Sends Elizabeth to the Tower, 266. 

Marriage, 267. 

Restores all former edicts for crushing out 
heresy, 268. 

Makes absolution for the nation, 269. 

Persecutes heretics, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 
276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281. 

Disappointment and death, 298. 
Martin Vincent, 100. 

Mary (sister of Henry VIIL), 157, 220, 264. 
Mary of Scotland, marries Francis II. of France, 
'287. 

Francis's death, and her farewell to Fiance, 292. 

Return to Scotland, 311. 

Marriage to Lord Darnley, 312. 

Relations with the Earl of Bothwel!, imprison- 
ment and escape, 313, 314, 315. 

Letter to Elizabeth, 338. 

Declared guilty of conspiracy-, and execution, 
342. 
Massasoit, 399, 400. 
Mayenne, Duke of, 348, 349. 
"Mayflower," siiip, 386. 
Maximilian, Emperor of Germany, 210. 
Meaux, 283. 

Melancthon, Philip, 227, 246. 
Mendoza, Cardinal, 103. 
Mentz, 70. 

Merindol, massacre of Huguenots, 286. 
Micliael Angelo, 193. 
Meldritch, Count, 364, 368. 
Mile End, 48. 
" Miracle plays," 37. 

Mirandola attacked by Pope Julius II., 190. 
Montcalm, 29. 
Montgomery, Richard, 28. 
Morals in Rome, 192. 

More, Sir Tliomns, 252, 253, 254, 258, 259, 260. 
Murray, Earl, 338. 

N. 

Netherlands, plundered by Charles V., 296. 

Newport, Captain, commander of expedition to 
Virginia, 362. 

Newton, Sir John, seized by Wat Tyler's insur- 
gents, 46. 

Norfolk, Duke of, informs Wolsey tliat his estate 
is confiscated, 252. 



INDEX. 



413 



Norfolk, Duke of, at bnining of Anne Askew, 
262. 
Intriguing with French and Scots in regard to 

Mary, 340. 
Proposes to marry Mary, 340. 
Northumberland, Earl of, and Henry VII., 144. 

Begins rebellion against Elizabeth, 341. 
Number of heretics put to death by Torquemada, 

95. 
Nuremberg Castle, torture-chamber, 240. 

O. 

Orange, Prince of, 294, 329, 331, 342. 

Orleans, massacre of Huguenots at, 325. 

Oxford, Countess of, at Anne Boleyn's corona- 
tion, 250. 

Oxford, Earl of, his retainers, 144. 
At Anne Boleyn's coronation, 249. 

Oxford, Marquis of, at Anne Boleyn's corona- 
tion, 250. 

Oxford, SheritT of, bill for burning Latimer and 
Ridlev, 280. 

P. 

Palissy, Bernard, 283, 285. 
Palos, 102, 107, lie. 
Palm-Sunday in Rome, 186. 
Parliament, established, 22, 27. 

Decides that no cause afl'ecting the kingdom 

shall be judged outside the realm, and that 

any one executing the Pope's order shall be 

punished, 247. 

Declare tiiat tlie marriage of Henry "VIII. and 

Katheiiiie of Aragon was illegal. 248. 
That I'llizabeth and not Mary is heir to the 

throne, 258. 
Makes Henry VIIF. head of the Church, 258. 
Restores edicts against heretics, 208. 
Declares it treason to ])ublish the Pope's bull, 

341. 
Presents an address for execution of Mary 

of Scotland, 342. 
Passes a law for imprisonment of all who do 
not conform to the Church of England, 350. 
Parr, Katherine, marries Heniy VHI., 257. 
Parr, Ambrose, 323. 
Parson of Wentnor, 256. 

Pecho, Senor, his money seized bv Torquemada, 
87. 
Death, 87. 
Penry, John, executed for Non-conformity. 355. 
People of England, fondness for sjjorts, 354. 
Perrenot. Anthony, persuades Charles V. to burn 

heretics, 295. 
Petition of ministers to James I., 357. 
Philip II. of Spain, 200, 207, 282, 294, 300, 342. 
Pigeons, 330. 



Pilgrims, arrival in Holland, and occupation, 383, 
384. 
Agreement with London merchants, 385. 
Embarkation at Delftshaven, 380. 
Election of Governoi-, 389. 
Arrival at Cai)e Cod, 390. 
Exi)lore the shores of Cape Cod, 393, 394. 
First town-meeting, 396. 
Pinzon, Alonzo, 107. 
Pinzon, Yanez, 107. 
Pizarro, 130. 

Plans that did not come to pass, 221. 
Pocahontas, 371, 373. 
Pope Alexander VI. (See Chap. IX.) 
Pope Alexander Farnese accepts service of th* 

Society of Jesus, 224. 
Pope Gregory VII., his declarations, 23. 
Pope Gregory XIII. chants a Te Deum over tlie 

massacre of St. Bartholomew, 326. 
Pope Innocent III., his power, 23. 
Releases John from his oath, 24. 
Excommunicates the barons and Archbishop 
of Canterbury, 25. 
Pope Innocent VIII. appoints Torquemada in- 
quisitor, 85. 
Licenses priests to keep taverns and play- 
houses, 80. 
Declares that dissent from his decree shall be 
ptniished with death, 89. 
Pope Julius II. defeated by Gaston de Foix, 190. 

Lampooned by Erasmus, 191. 
Pope Leo X., election, 193, 194. 

Apjioints Tetzel to sell indulgences, 197. 
Summons Martin Luther to appear before 

Cajeton, 209. 
Influence in election of Charles V., 210. 
Commands Martin Luther to stop preaching, 

227. 
Sends word to Chailes V. that Luther must 

be silenced, 229. 
Upsetting of his plans, 238. 
Po]ie Paul IV., message to the Duke of Guise to 
take no prisoner.*, but to kill all heretics, 340. 
Publishes a bull absolving Englishmen from 
allegiance to Elizabeth, 341. 
Po])e Urban VI. sends a bull ordering Wicklif 
to Rome, 41. 
Sells the offices of the Church, 42. 
Puts cardinals to death. 43. 
Sells the Bishopric of Wells, 49. 
Popes of Rome and of Avignon, 42, 57, 
Port Royal, 800. 
Pra del Tor, battle of, 308. 
Printing. (See Chap. IV.) 
Progress, 255, 257, 258. 
Putnam, Israel, 28. 



414 



INDEX. 



R. 

Rabbi Abaibanal, &ii])|)lications to Ferdinand, 
93. 

Rabiada, Convent of, 91. 

Raleigli, Sir Walter, voyage to America; inter- 
view with Indians; spreads his cloaic upon 
the ground for Queen EHzabeth ; settlement 
at Roanoke, 361. 

Ratclifte, John, 370. 

lielics in Rome, 187, 188. 

Rlieinstein, 71. 

Richard Coeiir de Lion, IS. 

Ridley, burned at Oxford, 279. 
Bill for burning, 280. 

Rizzio, Mary of Scotland's secretary, a Jesuit 
priest, murdered by Darnley and his fellow- 
conspiratoi's, 312. 

Roanoke, settled by Sir Walter Raleigh, 301. 

Robinson, John, preaches in Scrooby manor- 
house, 356. 

Roger, John, studies with Martin Luther, aids 
Tyndal and Coverdale in translating tiie 
Bible, marriage, family, 271. 
Death, 272. 

Roman Forum, 180. 

Roper, Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas More, 
2r>8. 

Runnymede, 18, 20, 26. 



Saladin, 18. 

Salamanca, Council of, 105. 
Salisbury, Archbishoji of, 1.52. 
Samoset, 398. 

Sandys, bisiiop of York, owns the manor-bouse 
at Scrooby, favors the execution of Mary 
of Scotland, 3-10, 341. 
Saragossa, 80. 
Savoy Palace, 47. 
Sbinco, Archbishop of Prague, 57. 
Scrooby manor-house, Margaret spends a night 
in, 155. 

Wolsey's residence, 252. 

Residence of William Brewster, 351. 

Richard Clifton preaches in, 356. 
Seymour, Jane, marriage with Henry VIII. ; 

mother of Edward VI., 257. 
Sforza, Lord, 1G5, 167. 
Shakspeare, 252, 301. 
Sigismund, calls Council of Constance, .59. 

Violates his snfe-condnct to John IIiiss, 61. 
Smith, John. (See Chap. XXIX.) 
Smithfield, execution of I'liomas Bayfield, James 

Bainham,and Anne Askew, 253, 262. 
Squanto, 393. 



Standish, Miles, Captain, 393, 397. 

Standish, Rose, 393, 397. 

Star-chamber, 144. 

St. Augustine, 360. 

St. Bartholomew's Church, 262. 

St. Bartholomew, massacre of. (See Chapter 

XXIV.) 
St. Botolph's Church, 275. 
St. Brandon, 100. 
St. Dunstan, 34, 35. 
St. George, 35. 

St. John's Bay, Newfoundland, 129. 
St. Peter's Church, Amsterdam, 384. 
St. Thomas's shirt, 143. 
Strasburg Cathedral, 71. 
Suffolk, Duke of, 249, 250. 
Sully, Duke of, 348. 
Sweden, King of, 300. 
Swiss Guards, 325. 



Taragona, Bishop of, 88. 

Taxes in Germany, 202. 

Taylor, Rowland, 275, 276, 277. 

Taylor, Thomas, 277. 

Teitzel, John, 197, 201, 203. 20.5. 

Thacker, Elias, put to deatli for Non-conformity, 

352. 
Thumb-screw, 83. 

Tobacco first used by Europeans, 1 14. 
Torquemada, Thomas, 83, 87, 88, 93, 95. 
Tournaments, 2 1 9, 288. 
Tunstal, Bishop, 253, 271. 
Tyburn, 355. 
Tyndal translates the Bible into English, 271. 

V. 

Vnl!adolid,80. 

Van der Werff, Pieter, bin-gomaster of Leyden ; 

his braveiy, 335. 
Yassari paints a picture of the massacre of St. 

Bartholomew, 326. 
Vassy, massacre of Huguenots by the Duke of 

Guise, 302. 
Vaudois, the Pope, Philip II., and Catherine de' 

Medici unite to exterminate them, 304. 
The massacre, 307, 308, 309. 
Vicars of Ledburg, Brasmyll, Stow, and dome 

lead scandalous lives, 256. 
Virgin, the iron instrument of torture in the cas- 
tle of Nuremberg, 240. 
Virgin Mary, statues of, erected in the streets of 

Paris, 291. 
Virginia, expedition for settlement of, 361. 
Virginia Dare, first white child born in America, 

3Gi. 



INDEX. 



415 



Vittoiia Colonna, lier contempt for the Pope, 
165. 

Von Cammerach, Cardinal, at Council of Con- 
stance, G2. 

W. 

Walsingliam Abl)cy, 142. 
Walsingliam, ambassador to Paris, 342. 
Wat Tyler kills a brutal tax-collector, -i(j. 

Commands insurgents, 46. 

Killed i)y the Mayor of London, 47. 
Weimar, agents of the Pope post a paper against 

Martin Luther, 2;?0. 
Westminster Abbey, founded by Edward, 14.">, 
146. 

Legend, 145. 

How it was built, 147. . 
Westmoreland, Eail of, engaged in a rebellion 

against Elizabeth, 841. 
Weston, Thomas, London merchant, 385. 
White, John, Governor of Roanoke, 361. 
Wicklif, John, ])reaches after he is dead, 30. 

Monks dig u]) his bones and burn them, 30. 

A boy at Oxford, 37. 

Preaches to Edward in.,38. 

Arraigns the dissolute monks, 39. 

His doctrines ; teaches the right of individual 
oi)inion, 40. 

Simimoned to the Bishops' Court, 40. 

Preaches in London, 43. 

Translates the Bible, 43. 



Wicklif, .John, selects the East Midland dialect, 
44. 

Ettect of his preaching, 45. 

His preaching denounced by the bishops and 
monks, 41). 

Death, 54. 
Wittenberg, town council, 230. 
Wolsey, Cardinal, meets Charles V., 210. 

His boyhood, 210. 

Made a dean by Hemy Vn.,210. 

Created cardinal, 210. 

Bishop of York, 211. 

Prime-minister, 211. 

Mairiages of kings, 213. 

Lays ])lans for future greatness, 214. 

Gives a banquet, 241. 

Disai)pointed in not being elected Pope ; quar- 
rels with Buckingham, 243. 

Makes all Church appointments in England, 
247. 

Incurs displeasure of Henry, 251, 

Compelled to resign his power ; confiscation 
of his estates, 252, 

Retires to manor-house at Scrooby, 252. 

His lament and death, 252. 
Worms, meeting of the Diet at, 230, 234. 
Wyatt, Sir Thomas, 250, 265. 
Wyseman, Thomas, 256. 



X. 



Xavier, Francis, 222. 



THE END. 



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